Oxford Brookes professor urges universities to better support Muslim students
She says more advanced planning for Ramadan could help prevent disadvantages during exam and deadline periods
With Ramadan underway, schools and universities across the UK are being encouraged to think carefully about how they support Muslim students during one of the most significant periods in the Islamic calendar.
Louise Taylor, Professor of Education and Student Experience at Oxford Brookes University, has led research into how institutions can take a more inclusive approach to the holy month.
Her guide for educators, released just before Ramadan last year, has been viewed almost 20,000 times on the National Teaching Repository and is being used by universities in the UK and internationally.
Speaking about the experiences of Muslim students during this time, Professor Taylor said: “Some of the key challenges relate to the fact that obviously they're fasting during daylight hours, but also they have a disrupted sleep pattern.”
She explained that students may be waking up before dawn to pray and eat, and staying up later for prayer and to break their fast, adding: “We know from the scientific research that that can have a bigger impact on learning than fasting itself.”
Around one in ten students in the UK are Muslim. “So in a class of 100, maybe 10 students will be observing Ramadan,” she said, describing it as “a really important time if we’re to ensure that all students can reach their potential."
For many universities, Ramadan this year coincides with the end of the semester, when assignment deadlines and exams take place.
Professor Taylor pointed out the contrast with Christian holidays: “For example, we never have any assessment deadlines around Easter and we have two weeks off.”
Under the Equality Act 2010, religious observance is a protected characteristic and universities are required to make reasonable adjustments.
However, she said while institutions are increasingly aware of the issue, “there’s sometimes a bit of a gap between the intention behind some of the policies and actual physical practicalities and timetabling.”
The research was inspired by her own experience in the classroom.
“One of my Muslim students was brave enough to come and tell me that she was finding it difficult to concentrate because it was Ramadan and I just had no real awareness that Ramadan was taking place,” she said.
That conversation led to a project exploring levels of awareness among educators and what support was already in place.
“One of the key things is just to acknowledge that Ramadan is taking place in the first place,” Professor Taylor said.
The guide includes suggested wording for an email that can be sent to students to help them feel seen and aware of their rights, including the ability to request extensions if they have a deadline on Eid, for example.
A year on from its release, she said the guidance is having an impact but stressed there is still work to do.
“There’s still a huge challenge whereby we’ve got to now make this become almost business as usual,” she said and that consideration of major religious festivals should be built into annual planning cycles rather than relying on last-minute adjustments.