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Plans to reopen universities have been put in serious doubt as the UK’s largest academic union today warns that it is “too dangerous” for face-to-face teaching to resume, and calls on the government and rectors to prevent students from returning. to the campuses. this autumn.
Around a million students are expected to move across the UK as they return to universities over the next month, which union leaders and public health experts fear could lead to a dramatic increase in Covid outbreaks. 19.
The Union of Universities and Colleges (UCU), which represents more than 120,000 academics, professors and university workers, accused the government of “encouraging a public health crisis”, warning that British universities are only “weeks” away from “sleepwalking towards a disaster. “
“One million young people are encouraged to travel across the UK, move into residences and congregate in large numbers. This could lead to universities being the nursing homes for any second wave of Covid, ”Secretary General Jo Grady said in an interview with the Observer.
The comments will heighten uncertainty among college students, parents and staff who hope to return to something akin to normal college life next month. University students have already suffered interruptions in their studies, with two strikes by university workers in the last academic year, meaning that most students missed several weeks of face-to-face teaching, even before the lockdown began.
Arguments over university safety will also put pressure on government ministers as this weekend they focus on ensuring a safe return to school for millions of students.
University leaders, while determined to ensure that students and staff are safe, are also aware of the financial repercussions if students follow the example of young people in the United States who have demanded fee refunds due to lack of teaching. personalized. Many UK universities are already struggling financially as they implement new guidelines to make facilities safe.
In the United States, thousands of coronavirus cases have been linked to universities, while in the United Kingdom, university cities such as Birmingham and Manchester have already become hotspots for the virus.
Grady said the government had made no attempt to identify student carriers of the virus. “There are no plans for universal testing on campus, not even for everyone who moves out of a lockdown zone to be screened before they are allowed to go to college,” he said. He added that resuming face-to-face teaching without universal testing would endanger a generation of young people, as well as university workers and people living in university towns.
“We now have universities that are attending more students than they were originally planning because of the A-level fiasco. And we know that infection rates are increasing among the younger cohorts. Therefore, the very people who are becoming increasingly infected by this virus are being encouraged en masse to move across the country and congregate and live together. Has no sense “.
Grady said UCU wants students to stay off college campuses until Christmas unless a testing program is in place, and that the government reviews this quarterly.
Gabriel Scally, a visiting professor of public health at the University of Bristol and a member of the Independent Sage committee, said there would “inevitably” be outbreaks and clusters of coronavirus cases at some universities if students returned. “I think there is no question that there will be problems,” he said. “Young people, especially in that [university] age group, tend to think that they are invulnerable. There will be many very excited people, living away from home with a new range of people. It is a really very serious potential problem for the spread of the virus and an increase this fall, perhaps even more than in schools.
The government guide for universities, published July 17, states that they must identify an “appropriate mix of online and classroom content for each subject.” Universities UK, which represents the vice chancellors, said the universities were planning to offer a combination of classroom and online teaching. Lectures will typically be delivered online, rather than in classrooms, while seminars and tutorials will be offered to small groups, practicing social distancing.
Some university leaders in London are particularly concerned about students returning to the capital, as many will be coming from abroad or from long distances within the UK, and their accommodation will often be far from the actual university. This means that they will have to use public transport on a regular basis.
On August 20, the Independent Sage group recommended that all college courses be offered remotely and online, unless they involve hands-on training or lab work. If students and staff have to attend campus in these restricted circumstances, the committee said they should be tested for the virus prior to arrival or prior to arrival, and regularly thereafter.
The National Union of Students said it wanted universities to follow the Independent Sage’s advice and focus on delivering face-to-face teaching for laboratory and hands-on courses only. “The government must work with universities to take urgent action and ensure that measures are put in place to prioritize the safety of students and staff,” said Larissa Kennedy, NUS National President. “Face-to-face teaching should only take place if it can be delivered safely to all staff and students, and social distancing guidelines and other safety measures can be maintained.”
Emma Hardy, Shadow Minister of Labor for Universities, said that the university sector was being left to deal only with the Covid problem and accused the government of showing a lack of leadership: “You just have to look outside to see what what is happening in America, where universities have been opened, to see how it has affected the number of cases in a particular area. This is an issue that the government must take seriously. “
The Department of Education said it planned to update its guide to colleges before the start of the period to reflect the latest public health advice, including advice on face covering, local closures and testing and tracking. “The safety of students and staff must be a priority, and we expect universities to make judgments based on the latest public health guidelines,” said a spokesperson. “We have established a government working group with the sector to work closely with universities to support them with whatever challenges they may face in the upcoming academic year.”
