Government ‘must not take student resilience for granted’, university body says in call for full return

The government has been warned not to take the “resilience” of students for granted in a call for a full return to university next month, when England’s lockdown is set to ease.

Only those on certain courses have been allowed back onto campus for face-to-face teaching since the start of the year.

For the others who are still at home, after being told to stay put when England’s lockdown hit during the Christmas holidays, they are waiting to hear when they can go back.

Universities UK (UUK) has urged the government to go ahead with a full return on 12 April under the next stage of lockdown easing, which will see non-essential retail, hairdressers and gyms allowed to reopen.

UUK, which represents 140 universities, said “concerns are growing” the next stage of student returns will be delayed until mid-May at the earliest.

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“University students have been extremely tolerant in the face of huge disruption and a radically different experience this year, and have willingly made sacrifices in the interests of public safety,” Professor Julia Buckingham, UUK’s president, said.

“But the government must not take their resilience for granted.”

Professor Buckingham claimed safety measures - such as regular asymptomatic testing, additional cleaning and self-isolation support - have “enabled effective management of the virus on campuses, with minimal infection rates in face-to-face teaching settings and limited onward transmission to local communities”.

When deciding on the next steps, she urged the government “to take account of the rigorous Covid-safety measures universities have implemented” and “the clear benefits for students of a 12 April return”.

However, University and College Union (UCU) said going ahead with a full return from next month would risk the safety of staff, students and the pucleblic.

They said the past year had seen students “lured” onto campus by vice-chancellors “with the promise of a relatively normal campus experience, only for them to be left facing long periods in lockdown”. 

“Universities should not now be asking hundreds of thousands of students to return for in-person teaching after Easter when most courses will only have revision classes and exams left,” Jo Grady, the UCU General Secretary, said.

The UCU has called for universities to teach online for the rest of the academic year where possible, saying it would be “much safer” to wait until “many more people” have been vaccinated.

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The government has said it will review by the end for Easter holidays the options for the return of remaining students, who have not yet been allowed back on campus under lockdown rules.

UUK has estimated as many as half of England’s student population, which sits at 2.1 million, are still being taught their course fully online, while they are either in their normal term-time accommodation or at home.

Only certain courses which had to be delivered in-person and “supported the pipeline of future critical workers”, like medicine and dentistry, were allowed to welcome back students for face-to-face lessons in January, after England went into lockdown.

All others were told to stay put where possible, while many were still home for the Christmas holidays.

Those on practical courses and who need specialist facilities were allowed to return from 8 March, in a move which the educational secretary estimated would allow around 40 per cent of the student population to return.

One first-year student toldThe Independent she was nervous to go back earlier this month, having spent so long away from university this year. 

The government has said students still away from campus will be given a week’s notice before they are allowed back.

“The government recognises the difficulties and disruption that this may cause for many students and their families, but our objective remains to reduce transmission by minimising the number of students who return to university and who access university facilities,” government guidance for universities on the spring term says.

It was estimated last month university students in the UK had spent nearly £1bn on accommodation left empty due to coronavirus restrictions.

Around one third of students had received some form of discount on their accommodation earlier this year amid the disruption faced by the pandemic, a survey of students between the end of January and start of February suggested.

The Department for Education has been approached for comment.