Smita leads the education team at Shakespeare Martineau, where she is partner and has worked for 20 years. As head of education, Smita oversees the firms’ work for all university and college clients based all over England and Wales.
26 pieces
Newest first, since October 2015 · page 1 of 2
· Comment
The free speech wars may finally be over
For Smita Jamdar, a pause and review on freedom of speech offers the opportunity for the sector to untangle this knotty problem together
· Comment
Should universities pay fees for OfS investigations?
The Office for Students is consulting on fees for investigations. Smita Jamdar has issues with what is on offer
· Comment
Universities are not confident in meeting green campus targets
Research from Shakespeare Martineau finds that universities still have a long way to go to meet ambitious green campus targets. Smita Jamdar has the findings.
· Comment
The anti anti-growth coalition
Students on valuable vocational courses were just down the road when Andrea Jenkyns started talking about “Harry Potter Studies”. Smita Jamdar and Tom Long celebrate the real value of higher education.
With Tom Long
· Comment
The governance of independent providers matters
Innovative approaches to higher education call for innovative approaches to governance. Smita Jamdar and Robin Middlehurst introduce Independent HE’s first steps.
With Robin Middlehurst
· Comment
Keeping track of the ever-evolving laws of higher education
The legal framework that universities operate under has expanded over the years, as Smita Jamdar explains.
· Analysis
Some big legal questions hang over the new free speech bill
Smita Jamdar interrogates the government’s new legislation on free speech and academic freedom and finds much to be concerned about.
· Analysis
The consumer protection implications of a move to post qualification admissions
Smita Jamdar applies consumer law to PQA, and finds increased risk of uncertainty.
· Comment
Build Back Higher: bringing university governance into the 21st century
Selena Bolingbroke, Smita Jamdar and David Bell make the case for better university governance after the pandemic.
With Selena Bolingbroke and David Bell
· Analysis
Assessing student rights and provider conditions after Covid-19
Students have rights if higher education courses are not run as advertised. Smita Jamdar explores what may happen next.
· Analysis
Confidentiality is a question of confidence
For Smita Jamdar, if universities had confidence that they were doing the right thing by students with a grievance, they would never reach for a confidentiality clause.
· Comment
Was Damian Hinds’s intervention on conditional unconditional offers legal?
Higher education legal expert Smita Jamdar argues that the Education Secretary writing to universities warning against the use of conditional unconditional offers could be in breach of the law on university autonomy.
· Comment
Unconditional offers, pressure selling, and consumer law
Smita Jamdar from Shakespeare Martineau looks at the consumer law implications of warnings from the OfS on unconditional offers.
· Analysis
Let’s go fly a kite: Running and regulating universities
Top wonks from across the sector share their ideas for the running, governing and regulating of universities.
With Jo Grady, Jim Dickinson and Paul Greatrix
· Analysis
Ready for it? The immigration white paper and the end of freedom of movement
The proposals in the Government’s new Immigration White Paper could have far reaching consequences for the HE sector. Smita Jamdar tries to make sense of it all.
· Comment
Is there a meaningful threat to free speech on campus?
Smita Jamdar of Shakespeare Martineau responds to some of the critiques angled at universities in some of the latest publications on free speech at universities.
· Analysis
How much can universities really influence the regulatory framework?
Consultation is the word of the moment, but how much of what the sector say will genuinely be listened to and acted on? Smita Jamdar asks if there can be any listening without prejudice.
· People
HE Power List 2017: The rise of the regulators
Power List judge Smita Jamdar takes us through the implications of the huge recent changes to the sector regulatory framework.
· Analysis
Time for universities to get ready for the compliance culture
Smita Jamdar analyses what the new ‘compliance culture’ that is likely to follow from the Higher Education and Research Act will mean for university management.
· People
HE Power List 2016: Cecil Rhodes and students’ influence
A new wave of student counter-culture is challenging established ideas of power in higher education. Smita Jamdar reflects on the challenges to ancient symbols of power, such as the statue of Cecil John Rhodes.