Daniel Kebede, the General Secretary of Britain's National Education Union (NEU), has distanced the union from an open letter supporting academic Jason Arday, who faces allegations of plagiarism and academic misconduct. The NEU stated that Kebede originally signed the letter two weeks prior based on information provided at the time and now believes a new statement appealing for a fair and transparent investigation is warranted.
Mention of the NEU's stance comes as a former student of Arday's claimed in an article for Unherd that his lectures were largely unproductive and that he accused her of having "white privilege" when she questioned her grade. Cambridge University launched an investigation into Arday last week following accusations from fellow academics concerning the alleged copying of others' work and the fabrication of previous academic positions. Arday has since resigned from his Cambridge post, citing the "personal cost" of the controversy, and has canceled promotional events for his upcoming memoir.
Three academics have already withdrawn their names from the open letter: Sonita Alleyne, former head of Jesus College; Sir Simon Philip Baron-Cohen, a professor at Cambridge; and Ricardo Sabates Aysa, a professor at Cambridge. Kebede, who has championed anti-racist activism, remains listed as a signatory.
An NEU spokesperson emphasized Kebede's belief in due process for individuals facing questions about their professional conduct. "In light of the new information that has since emerged, he would have hoped that the authors of the statement would have presented a different statement. One appealing for a fair and transparent investigation," the spokesperson said.
The student's anonymous account described Arday as frequently arriving late and leaving lectures early, with one session lasting only one hour of the scheduled four. She also recounted his tendency to "ramble" about rapper Eminem and offer "generalised views on racism without ever referring to any academic theories." When she complained about a low essay mark, the student alleged that Arday became defensive, implying her dissatisfaction was due to her "white privilege."
Further scrutiny emerged when internet users accused Arday of duplicating the title of his book, "Great and Unfortunate Things," from a 2010 television series episode. Arday has been contacted for comment. The Good Law Project, which hosted the open letter, declined to comment but stated it had merely hosted the letter and did not author it. The University of Roehampton, where Arday previously worked as a senior lecturer, reported that its review of student casework records found no complaints related to him during his employment there from September 2017 to February 2019.