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Government guidance for student Christmas return ‘riddled with holes’, says UCU

The University and College Union (@UCU) today (Wednesday) said government plans to get students home for Christmas were welcome but flaws in the guidance were a sad reflection of a government that has consistently failed to move fast enough to contain Covid. The union was responding to plans for a student travel window from 3 to 9 December in which students will return home from university.

Jo Grady 100x100

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said:

‘The government has finally announced plans for students to return home before Christmas, but they are riddled with holes and raise as many questions as they answer.  Allowing just a week for around one million students to travel across the country leaves little room for error. If the government instead told universities to move online now it would provide much more time to stagger the movement of students and better protect the health of staff, students and their wider communities.

‘The plans for mass testing fall far short of universal coverage, with some universities set to receive no tests – and they come with immense practical challenges to overcome in a very short window. The government has created a situation where students and staff are still going onto campus for in-person teaching during a lockdown. Any student who is not able to be tested will either have to spend 14 days in isolation after that lockdown ends, alone in student accommodation, or risk spreading the virus. It is unclear what extra support will be given to help potentially thousands of students who may need to isolate at the same time. £12m for mental health support is not sufficient when thousands of students are already protesting the lack of provision.

‘The insistence on continuing with in-person teaching until 9 December is putting the health of the nation at risk by repeating the summer’s mass movement of students in just one week.

‘There is still no information about what universities should do next term, risking the possibility of a third wave of Covid. The government must support students to learn remotely next term and work with universities to help release any students who wish to remain at home from their accommodation contracts.’

UCU has been calling for universities to move teaching online since August, and both SAGE and Independent SAGE have said in-person teaching should be halted. UCU recently launched a legal action over the government’s decision to ignore SAGE’s advice.

The University and College Union said yesterday (Tuesday) that plans to mass test students presented huge logistical challenges that may leave staff and students stuck in limbo. It added that plans for January are also urgently needed. The union was responding to a report that the government plans to mass test students for Covid before they return home for Christmas.

UCU said it was not yet clear whether all universities would take part in the testing, how the tests would be administered, who would pay for it and whether students who live at home and commute to campus daily would be included.

It said the government also needed to follow recommendations from Independent SAGE to move to online teaching now to lower the risk of transmission on campus during lockdown, and to help manage the mass movement of students.

NUS and UCU have already jointly called for students to have the choice to be released from accommodation contracts if they wish to stay at home, and be supported to learn remotely to lower the risk of more outbreaks.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said:

‘We hope the government is able to properly oversee mass testing of students at the end of term, but there are huge hurdles to overcome to manage this process. Some of our concerns include whether all universities will be able to take part, how the tests will be administered, who will cover the costs, what the plan is for students who commute to campus daily from their family home, and how students who aren’t able to be tested will travel home safely.

‘Many students have already spent this term yo-yoing in and out of self-isolation, separated from family and friends, when they could otherwise have been at home. This will have taken a huge toll on their mental health. The government must follow independent SAGE’s advice and tell universities to move all non-essential in-person teaching online now to help manage the return home. It must also support students to learn remotely next term and work with universities to help release any students who wish to remain at home from their accommodation contracts. We cannot risk another mass outbreak due to further government incompetence.’  


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