Christmas evacuation plan was ‘ sprung on’ universities
THE GOVERNMENT’S Christmas plans for students have been “sprung upon” universities, says a Yorkshire higher education leader.
Ministers have announced an evacuation- style operation to take place to get students home safely for Christmas after England’s lockdown.
Universities in England have been told to set staggered departure dates during a “travel window” between December 3 and December 9 so students can return home after the four- week lockdown, while minimising the risk of them spreading Covid- 19.
Institutes have been encouraged to offer rapid result Covid tests and end in- person teaching by December 9 so students have enough time to self- isolate before returning home for Christmas.
If a student tests positive for Covid- 19 on or before this date, they must self- isolate at university for a period of 10 days, says the Department for Education ( DfE).
Professor Shirley Congdon, the chair of the charity Yorkshire Universities – a group representing 12 institutions in the region – has said more advanced notice should have been given to university leaders, instead of finding out the Government’s plan of action on the same day students did.
Prof Congdon said: “Students heard it at the same time we did and the expectation of students is raised and then we have to manage that very, very carefully... The more advance notice we have the more we can work with our students to manage expectations and put in place effective solutions.”
Prof Congdon, who is also the Vice- Chancellor for the University of Bradford, added: “More collaboration and joint working is the best way to get the best solution and at times some of these things have been sprung upon universities without enough time to implement the actions in the best way possible.”
The DfE said Covid- 19 tests would be offered to as many students as possible before they travel, with the distribution set to begin at the end of November, and universities in areas with higher rates of the disease will be prioritised, but academics have warned that a roll out of mass testing will be a “massive undertaking”.