University of Reading tells refugee plan critics to 'jog on' Published duration 3 July 2018

image copyright @UniofReading/Twitter image caption The university used Twitter to reply to critics of its new scheme

A university has told people unhappy with its plans to offer scholarships to refugees to "jog on" on Twitter.

The tweet from the official account of the University of Reading explained that they had received negative feedback since announcing the scheme.

It added: "To these people, we would like to say: Tough."

The university is standing by the post, despite complaints about the language, saying it is "proud and unapologetic to offer these scholarships".

Some people criticised the university for the tweet, including a woman who said she was a mother of a current student.

However, others praised the university and said they were "proud" of the scholarship.

The plans, developed in partnership with Reading Refugee Support Group (RRSG) and Reading University Students' Union, are set to provide up to 14 university scholarships for refugees in the Reading area.

Pro Vice-Chancellor at the university, Professor Robert Van de Noort, said the scholarships are "another practical step to welcome and integrate all people into our communities".

He said it was "a welcome addition to our existing range of scholarships available for a variety of students".

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Speaking about the scheme, Gaby Couchman, deputy manager at RRSG, said: "We work with a number of refugees in Reading who have a strong desire to engage with higher education in the UK.

"These are often young and highly educated people who have had their studies interrupted due to conflict and persecution in their home country.