Ten months into the most challenging period of modern history, why are students still left in uncertainty after government announcements?

Listening along to the announcements that tougher restrictions were to be imposed across Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom, you’d be forgiven for thinking that universities didn’t exist. As we were told that the new strain was spreading fast, that schools were closing, and that work from home was back, I was most anxious to hear how these new restrictions would impact on the over two million students across the UK. I wanted to know if we were still able to travel back to our flats; how the restrictions would impact on our degrees; and if we could still access the library and the resources necessary to complete our assessments. Unfortunately, my questions went unanswered when the Prime Minister failed to even say the word “university” in his address, while the First Minister’s only mention of the word was to say that there’d be a review at the existing guidance for students later, with no indication of what that meant in practice or what could change when the guidance was reviewed. It would of course later transpire that the review was severe - students were told not to return until the start of March, but without any support given for those left paying for flats they couldn’t access.

I understand that these decisions had to be taken quickly and that the magnitude of the new restrictions meant that there was a lot to announce. School students and their parents deserved clarity on their education, business owners deserved clarity on if they must close; but so too did university students deserve clarity on how the restrictions impact us. While it would be unreasonable to expect every last detail to be set out, providing some clarity on travel and access to university facilities was necessary to prevent mass student panic. Yet, a sector that contributes £21 billion to the British economy went unmentioned.

Consequently, many students became worried about our travel plans. Would we be okay if our cars were stopped on the way up? Would we be turned away at train stations and ferry terminals? Others agonised over the prospect of even going back to University, wondering what the point would be if even the library was closed. While further guidance eventually was published to state that University libraries could remain open and that travel for education was still permitted, this should have been made clear from the outset, and we certainly shouldn’t have been expected to dig through pages upon pages of guidance and regulations to find the basic answers to our simple questions.

Unfortunately, this disregard for universities reflects an alarming pattern. Last term, I wrote about how the COVID-19 outbreaks in halls were caused by students being told they’d have substantial amounts of in-person teaching, leading to most moving to Glasgow for classes that were non-existent. In September, the Scottish Government’s instruction that all students (meaning everybody from a 18 year old fresher in halls to a 60 year old PhD student at home) indefinitely avoid pubs and restaurants, backed up with threats of expulsion for non-compliance, was swiftly and rightfully downgraded to a simple request for one weekend after mass outrage.  In December, despite students coming and going from all across the UK, advance guidance on our return was not agreed across the UK, leading to further unnecessary confusion - not to mention the difficulties faced by international students in travelling home. This complete disregard for higher education and its two million students cannot go on.

While I earnestly hope for a swift vaccine rollout and the associated consignment of COVID-19 restrictions to the annals of history, governments and universities must up their game and take responsible supportive actions while they remain in place. For governments, this means communicating clearly and openly with students, just as they should with any other group. It means recognising that many students rely on income from work to supplement their student loans but that the dire state of the economy and the indefinite closure of the hospitality industry greatly restrict opportunities for work, causing financial hardship for many. For universities, it means listening to students and acknowledging that we’ve had a year of disruption, and that despite the sacrifices and hope for a better 2021, we’re now back in the same situation we were in March. It means recognising that many students struggle with online learning, despite the commendable efforts of staff to  convert their courses, and the grades we receive may not be a reflection of our true abilities. 

Students are not asking for the world. We’re simply asking for clarity from our governments and understanding from our universities. Measures that were possible in March are possible again now and they’re more desirable than ever. After a year of unparalleled and unprecedented disruption, including personal and financial hardship for so many, students deserve appropriate support and clarity of communication from our universities and governments, not further uncertainty and bluster.