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College students will be able to return home to their families on Christmas if the public sticks to the new COVID-19 restrictions and helps control the virus, the culture secretary told Sky News.
Appearing at Sophy Ridge on Sunday, Oliver Dowden said, “I want the students to be able to go home for Christmas and if we all come together and observe these new rules, follow the guidance, then we should be able to get to a point where that should be possible.” .
He accused Labor of playing partisan politics following a letter sent by the shadow education secretary calling for action to be taken on the issue of students and coronavirus.
“I don’t think it’s useful at this three-month stage to speculate,” he said.
“We have announced a series of measures. We are constantly reviewing this situation, taking the necessary measures to keep the virus under control.
“All of that is designed to ensure that we keep the virus under control in a way that allows people to continue living their lives as normally as possible in this situation.”
Dowden added: “What we should be focusing on now is making sure we actually take these steps and respect them.”
Kate Green of Labor has written to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, asking for “urgent clarity and reassurance” on the matter.
The party wants testing in place to ensure that students can be home during the holiday period.
It comes after 1,700 students in Manchester Metropolitan University They were told to stay in their rooms for two weeks after 127 tested positive for the coronavirus.
Shadow culture secretary Jo Stevens told Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “Obviously we have to put public safety and health first, but we have said, the Labor Party has said, we think students should be able to go back to home at Christmas and for them to do so we need an effective test, trace and isolation system. “
It is not just Labor that has demanded more action.
Conservative MP Robert Halfon, who chairs the education selection committee, has also asked ministers to reassure parents on the matter.
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He told Sky News on Saturday: “We need a clear testing system for universities … in all schools, universities and colleges, testing should have been one of the priority areas … the government has to figure it out. “.
Halfon also questioned whether universities should consider reimbursing tuition fees to some extent, if students cannot get the face-to-face tuition they would expect.
“We need to be clear about what is happening in terms of hallway closures,” he said.
“We also need to get guidance on online learning and also whether to consider that students will get a discount if they don’t have significant face-to-face enrollment or interaction with their teachers in the coming months.”
