Beard faces up to post-virus future

CLASSICIST Mary Beard has voiced fears that the pandemic shutdown will change the UK’s universities for good as top academics talked about their experience of coronavirus. “Higher education will be one of the many long-term losers,” Beard, fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge, predicted to The Londoner.

“When we return, I am sure that we will have to put up a fight to reinstate face-to-face lectures. I

FOOTBALL’S Peter Crouch has been finding time for “a bit of scampi research” during the shutdown. “It’s been blowing my mind, really, this scampi stuff. What is it? A few people on email and social have told me that scampi is actually langoustine tails... I believe it’s some sort of crappier lobster.” We’re all learning at home now. am slightly joking,” she added, “but think how much money could be saved by switching to online teaching permanently and selling off the lecture rooms!” Let’s not get any ideas. Philosopher and academic AC Grayling (far left) told The Londoner traditions should be protected for students. “We’re going to learn how to make good use of new ways of delivering content,” said Grayling, who is Master of New College of the Humanities in London. “But we never should backtrack from face-to-face.

“A lot of institutions like my own have shifted things online in the past few days,” he added, joking: “This is useful as a lot of student-age people are alert later in the day than when lectures are usually held. My own view is that as soon as the crisis is over the personal touch will return.”

Universities have not been ordered to shut but Education Secretary Gavin

Williamson says he is “confident vice-chancellors are making the right decisions”, which have included suspending face-to-face teaching and cancelling summer exams.

Universities body Universities UK said services for students on campus and essential research were continuing.

Ancient history specialist Beard (left) said not everything was changing for her during quarantine. “I shall be reading everything I can get my hands on about Roman emperors,” she said. That’s reassuring.

WITH rumours swirling about corona policy, any No 10 off-the-record briefings probably aren’t a plot, thinks Theresa May’s former press aide Paul Harrison. “I lose count of the number of things that weren’t particularly helpful to say at that particular moment when I was in government,” he tells Matt Forde’s podcast. “It was almost always cock-up rather than conspiracy.” That’s reassuring.