The £1 million Oxford lawsuit shows we’re all consumers now

If you’ve ever had a teacher or a school that you hated beyond words, then Faiz Siddiqui will have become your new martyr. The Oxford graduate took his alma mater to the High Court alleging that “appallingly bad” and “boring” teaching capped him to a 2:1 and stunted his hopes of becoming an international commercial lawyer, and saw his case thrown out.

Derisive responses of ridicule have been common, and ostensibly it’s an easy case to mock. Having his dreams of an Ivy League postgraduate quashed, he had to settle for a measly training contract at Clifford Chance – one of the largest law firms in the world. He has since floated between numerous legal and tax roles that his counsel described as “frankly poor”. This description paints an unflattering picture of an entitled man salvaging the broken pieces of his ego after still failing with the world at his feet. But this case requires a more serious analysis.

The point of contention is that an Asian history module was understaffed and mismanaged. Oxford itself admitted there were ‘difficulties’ as four out of the seven staff were on sabbatical. This is the crux supporting Siddiqui’s claim that the teaching was “appallingly bad” as remaining staff were overworked, which if true is hard to argue against. While the judge wasn’t convinced the education was bad enough to justify the lawsuit, it was acknowledged that the education received can affect such goals.

It isn’t surprising that Siddiqui felt aggrieved by Oxford’s teaching mismanagement. The primary reason cited for studying a degree is the prospect of better employment, through either gaining a competitive advantage or entering a career that requires such a qualification. When you factor that students pay tuition fees and incur huge debts alongside paying living costs, the true dynamic between a student and their university is made apparent. Consumers (students) are buying a product (the degree) to improve their prospects.

Consumers (students) are buying a product (the degree) to improve their prospects

Of course, academics and students do in many cases inherently value their education, but this transactional mentality will always influence how a person thinks about their degree. Just consider the students demanding compensation or reimbursement over the UCU strikes. Is it really surprising that Siddiqui is looking for compensation after half of his module staff took a sabbatical? Isn’t it reasonable to expect your university to ensure there’s adequate teaching staff and resources?

Oxford failed to provide a service to a promised standard, Siddiqui felt that Oxford were responsible and wanted accountability for this. Attorneys and judges can (and did) debate the minutiae of a case to assess the substance of the claim, but it isn’t unreasonable to ask the question, especially for something as important and valued as higher education.

There certainly is something to be said about personal responsibility, but this creates a reductionist line of reasoning. Those who succeed in the face of a systemic failure to support them do so despite such hurdles and it’s unreasonable to ignore such failings. If someone wins a sprint after being forced to start 10 meters behind everyone else, does that excuse them being put in such a position in the first place? Of course, it doesn’t. Even if we dismiss Siddiqui and his claims about Oxford’s handling of his degree, it’s impossible to ignore what his case reveals about the way we think about education.

It’s impossible to ignore what his case reveals about the way we think about education

Many students genuinely love their subject matter and want to further develop and inform their perspective of the world, but the bottom line is that career prospects are vital. Siddiqui’s case is an extreme consequence of our collective expectation as students. It shatters the classical idea that education only exists to confer knowledge as an intrinsically valuable human experience, and ignores its extrinsic value for employment prospects. Ultimately, how education can better support students bolstering their career prospects, and whether this should be the focus of education, is what needs to be asked and answered.