2020 has been a year to forget for everyone. The corona-virus pandemic, (Covid-19), which has spread mercilessly across the globe killing hundreds of thousands of people, literally shutting down countries and ruining economies, is still rife in the UK, and worryingly seems to be on the rise again. Since the 22nd of August, according to Public Health England statistics, the number of cases admitted to hospital per day has risen from 25 to 764 cases per day in the UK by October the 13th. This rise in cases has resulted in the UK government bringing restrictions back into place, such as the 10pmcurfew on all pubs, bars and restaurants as well as only socialising in groups of 6, now going even further and introducing a 3-tier system across the whole of the UK.
Not one group of society has found themselves exempt from any of the restrictions or lockdowns that have been put in place. However, some have felt the consequences of these restrictions far more than others. That group is students, especially those at University. Students mostly come to University from secondary school, to earn a degree and a sense of individuality, this entails living away from home and having to have their own financial independence for the first time. Unfortunately, the pandemic that has hit the world has had a major effect on the way that universities work and therefore the way students are ‘taught’ their degree which they pay £9000 a year to study. “Recently, the foundations of this unique ecosystem have been impacted significantly by the rapid spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, creating uncertainty regarding the implications for higher education.” (The World University Rankings, 2020)[1]
(Authors own, 2020)
Students studying at Bournemouth University and hundreds of other Universities across the UK now complete their degree over zoom and other Internet calling sites without any classroom interaction or face to face teaching, in many ways teaching themselves the course. The working environment has therefore changed completely, paying £9000 pounds a year for state-of-the-art technology, classrooms and libraries is no longer something they have use of on a day to day basis, instead they complete their studies through their laptop, over zoom in their University accommodation. This set back of not getting what they are paying for, while still being forced to pay full price seems like a kick in the teeth and from my own personal involvement within the student community, talking to students from Bournemouth, University of Manchester and Loughborough University, it is fair to say that this is the feeling across the student community.
“Personally, I study Media Production. The clue is in the name that my course is or should be production based. Unfortunately, this year I have had little to no contact hours or hands on style learning that I thought I was paying £9000 for”
(A quote from Emily Sparks studying Media Production at Bournemouth University)
Bournemouth University is situated in the South-West of the country and is currently under tier 1 restrictions – the lowest tier. The University itself is holding no face to face lectures unless it’s absolutely essential. The students therefore interact with their course from their student halls or houses through their laptops. Unlike Bournemouth, Manchester is currently under some of the toughest restrictions in the country, therefore affecting Manchester University and its students, with reports of students being literally locked in their halls due to the virus. “In total 1,700 students were locked down” (The Guardian, 2020)[2] I have spoken directly to a student from the University of Manchester named Jerome Howell, who told me that he feels angry about how the University is treating them and is quoted saying.
“Nine thousand a year to sit in our rooms and be taught through a screen is a joke.”
He continued, talking about how he feels the “Government & Universities should work together…” and touched on how he thinks the Universities should
“massively reduce the fees for students this year”.
This shows from a student’s perspective how the whole student community feels. This is clearly not what any student imagined when they decided to come to University. It seems the education system is currently failing them & leaving them to their ‘own devices’…
Overall the current situation University students in England find themselves in is rather bleak. Students are partaking in Open University style teaching but paying £9000 pound for the privilege to do so from their own homes, halls or student houses. If you compare this with the actual Open University who charge on average £6140 for their course’s. Students in England, therefore, are definitely not being treated fairly, and are simply overpaying. Begging questions such as; Will the Universities reimburse the students? Will drop-out rates climb? How long will this last? “The British government’s Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance has said that it is possible that some vaccine could be available in small amounts later this year, but it is more likely that a vaccine will be available early next year, although that is not guaranteed.” (India Blooms, 3 Oct. 2020) [3]
This doesn’t give reassurance to the student’s; it hints however that face to face teaching will carry on way into next year due to a vaccine not being available. Scotland on the other hand have no University fees for students, maybe it is a good time for the English Government to rethink its University fees which were first implemented by the Labour Government, in order to take the stress off the students.
It seems entirely unfair that this is happening to our students, and something needs to be done to put things right and give them the correct help they need to succeed.
Oliver Tennant
[1] The World University Rankings, 2020., The Impact of Coronavirus on Higher Education. Keystone Academic Solutions, https://www.timeshighereducation.com/hub/keystone-academic-solutions/p/impact-coronavirus-higher-education#
[2] The Guardian News and Media Limited, 2020., Higher Education, Hundreds of Manchester students locked down after 127 Covid cases, https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/sep/25/hundreds-of-manchester-students-locked-down-after-127-covid-cases. Accessed 27 Oct. 2020.
[3] India Blooms, 2020, 770 students test positive in major coronavirus outbreak at UK university, News, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A637220438/STND?u=bu_uk&sid=STND&xid=604f1f9d. Accessed 27 Oct. 2020.
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