Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of universities at fulfilling their Prevent duty obligations, in the context of levels of support for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The situation in the Middle East is deeply troubling, and the escalating violence highlights the importance of universities’ Prevent duty responsibilities to safeguard students from radicalisation.

To comply with the Prevent duty, universities must have effective policies in place and regularly assess risks; this may include updating their risk assessments to remain alert to any increased vulnerability among students, considering recent events.

The Office for Students (OfS) monitors how higher education providers are complying with the Prevent duty and ensures that appropriate measures are in place to protect students from radicalisation. Current OfS monitoring shows that providers are broadly meeting their responsibilities.

The department continues to work closely with the OfS to review compliance and support providers in maintaining high standards.