Brexit has sparked concerns about the future of higher education in the United Kingdom. There are worries that it would lead to a "damaging brain drain" of university staff.
Experts have previously warned the Members of Parliament (MPs) over the negative effects that a "hard Brexit" could have over the U.K.'s best industries, including education. John Latham, vice-chancellor of Coventry University, also implied that this would change the way people would view the U.K. University of Cambridge's EU Law professor, Catherine Barnard, explained that Brexit would turn the lives of EU higher education staff in the nation upside down.
Moreover, the exit would most likely lead to the cutting off of the flow of excellent people to Britain. Oxford Brookes University's vice-chancellor, Alistair Fitt, said that this may be the "biggest disaster for the university sector" in recent years.
According to BBC, a report from MPs urged higher education institutions that university staff from EU countries should be guaranteed a right to stay and work in the country. This is part of the efforts to prevent a brain drain in the education sector.
They also want international students to be taken out of migration figures. Urgent steps are expected to be taken to end the uncertainty surrounding the future status of EU academics.
Education select committee chairman Neil Carmichael noted that Brexit could risk damaging the "international competitiveness" of universities. One in about six academic staff in the U.K. is from EU countries, which makes up about 16 percent of the workforce in this sector, Mirror reported.
The report urged the committee to give EU academics their right to work and stay unilaterally before the end of the year. This is if there is no reciprocal deal with other EU countries.
Carmichael added that the U.K. is one of the world leaders in terms of higher education. However, Brexit will definitely risk the long-term success of British universities and colleges.
