University criticised for India campus bid amid job cuts

Queen’s University Belfast has been criticised for its decision to open a campus in India, after it announced 270 job cuts in Northern Ireland through a voluntary redundancy scheme, writes Eimear Flanagan for BBC News NI.

The University and College Union, which represents many lecturers and support staff, described the move as “scandalous”. It said Queen’s receives “significant funding” from Stormont and accused the university of using public money to fund redundancies in Belfast while expanding abroad.

However Queen’s said it was facing a financial deficit amid a “sharp decline” in international students and so it had to take a number of actions to cut its costs. It added the redundancy scheme was wholly voluntary.

At the time, BBC News NI saw documents which suggested Queen’s University Belfast was facing a deficit of more than £11 million (US$13.7 million) for the financial year 2024-25. Then last week, the university announced that it plans to open a campus in Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City) in India next year.
Full report on the BBC site