Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to update their
guidance on Students returning to, and starting, Higher
Education, last published on 8 March, following the resumption of
university courses after Easter.
(Con)
My Lords, on Tuesday my honourable friend the Universities
Minister and I laid Written Statements confirming that, following
the review of when all higher education students could return to
in-person teaching, remaining students on non-practical courses
should return to in-person teaching alongside step 3 of the road
map out of lockdown no earlier than 17 May. Alongside this, the
guidance document for students returning to or starting higher
education was updated and published.
(Con)
My Lords, I am grateful to the Government for updating the
guidance shortly after this Question was tabled. I am, of course,
conscious of the need for sensible restraint in emerging from
lockdown. However, by 17 May, many summer terms will be so far
advanced that it will be almost not worth while, in many cases,
restarting physical teaching. For many students, I suspect that
it will be the autumn before they get back to where they ought to
be. It seems to me that university students have been handed yet
again the shortest of short straws and are bearing a
disproportionate part of the national burden. Will my noble
friend think again?
(Con)
My Lords, of course we recognise the difficulties and disruption
that a return in line with step 3 might cause the students. It
does allow them, however, to receive some extra in-person
teaching and assessment, to engage with extra-curricular
activities, to take part in face-to-face careers support, to
visit specialist libraries and so on, as well as to see their
peers and boost their mental health. Students are keen to get
back to campus and universities are keen to have them back. We
want to enable this as soon as the public health situation
allows.
(Lab) [V]
My Lords, I entirely agree with the noble Lord, . Students have been short-changed: they are anxious;
they are angry; they feel let down; and they cannot understand
why they cannot return to university when schools, shops, gyms
and hairdressers are open. I do not understand that either. It is
having a detrimental effect on their mental health, their
well-being and their studies. The appalling delay in the guidance
has made the situation worse. How did the Government reach the
decision to delay the return of students until 17 May? Have they
assessed the current and long-term impact on the mental health
and well-being of students? Have they considered the impact on
universities, which play such a vital role in the economy of our
country and which have made the most enormous efforts to put in
place all of the requisite Covid-safe measures in respect of
in-person teaching, libraries, accommodation and other
facilities? I remind noble Lords of my interest as principal of
Somerville College, Oxford.
(Con)
My Lords, of course we understand the frustration that students
might feel, particularly as things are opening up under step 2,
but many of the things that are opening are taking place outside
and do not involve the formation of new households, which a
return of students to university would do. Inside, the risks of
transmission increase, and the decision we have taken is in line
with our cautious approach to the road map out of lockdown. At
the heart of our decision is public health but also student
well-being, as the noble Baroness mentioned. The last thing that
any of us want is for students to have to self-isolate
repeatedly, as some had to previously. That would not only be
damaging to their mental health and well-being but put at risk
the ability of some students studying creative and practical
subjects to graduate.
(LD) [V]
My Lords, there is cross-party support for the noble Lord,
, and the noble Baroness, Lady Royall. From the Liberal
Democrat Benches, I reinforce everything that he said. I declare
my interest as an academic at Cambridge University. I note that
this is guidance. Why on earth should students or universities
listen to guidance if it is not law, particularly if it goes
against the interests of students?
(Con)
As I said, the Government recognise how difficult the situation
is for students, but the road map is designed to maintain a
cautious approach to the easing of restrictions so that we can
maintain progress and not have to go back on it. The guidance
that we have made available is in the best interests of students
and the wider community, and we urge everybody to adhere to it.
(Con) [V]
My Lords, I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the
register of interests. I congratulate the Government on the
student hardship fund, including the addition £15 million that
has recently been made available. This has provided a necessary
lifeline for many students. However, in relation to students
returning to university, I am with noble Lords who have already
spoken. What assurance can the Minister give that, in the event
of a potential future lockdown, which has already been spoken
about, the education of university students, many of whom have
already lost at least a year’s worth of face-to-face teaching,
will be prioritised in ways that they have not been over the last
year?
(Con)
I thank my noble friend for her welcome for the further £15
million of student hardship funding that we have announced this
week. That is on top of the £70 million that we had already
provided and the £256 million which providers are able to use
during this academic year. Our cautious approach is designed to
ensure that this step out of lockdown will be irreversible and to
avoid the situation that my noble friend outlined.
(CB)
My Lords, I remind the House of my interests as set out in the
register. The ONS student insights survey revealed that almost
two-thirds of students have experienced a decline in mental
health over this academic year, brought about in part by the
uncertainty, anxiety and isolation which is, of course,
exacerbated by this further decision. Will the Government commit
to providing additional funding for university mental health
services, given the increasingly high demand that they will face
both now and over the coming year?
(Con)
Yes, we have worked with the Office for Students to provide
Student Space, which is being funded by up to £3 million by the
OfS to support students with their mental health and well-being.
Furthermore, we have asked the OfS to allocate £15 million
towards student mental health this year through the proposed
reforms to strategic priorities grant funding.
(Lab) [V]
My Lords, university students feel forgotten in the Government’s
plans for leaving lockdown. What discussions have the Government
had with university leaders and student representatives regarding
the date for return to in-person teaching? Given that, by
mid-May, many universities will have finished their teaching
year, does the Minister accept that the reality is that this
decision means that many universities and courses will
effectively stay online until the autumn? What impact will this
have on students, who have, frankly, been paying through the nose
to study at campuses that they have not been able to access since
Christmas?
(Con)
The students are most certainly not forgotten. My honourable
friend the Universities Minister engages directly with students
and representatives of students through various groups that she
has set up, including ones focusing on mental health. The Office
for Students is also conducting some polling of students so that
their views can be fed into decision-making. That, alongside the
scientific advice, is what has led us to the decision that we
have taken this week.
(LD)
My Lords, does the Minister agree that what is coming out in this
Question Time and in the news is that students do not seem to
know what the situation is? They do not know if they will get a
reduction on fees. They do not know if they are going to get some
money back on accommodation taken for university. Will the
Government at least publish something that is a guideline to what
sort of behaviour they think is proper? If not the Government
themselves, the Office for Students would be a very good body to
take this on.
(Con)
My Lords, as I say, we have updated the guidance to students with
advice on returning to universities this week. As was announced
in February, students and HE providers will be given a week’s
notice of any further easing of restrictions as it affects them.
This is a changing situation with the pandemic. We understand the
frustrations people face, but we are grateful to them for their
forbearance.
(Lab)
My Lords, surveys suggest that over a fifth of university
students say they would need extra teaching over the summer—which
I believe many of them are being offered—to catch up on lessons,
tutorials and classes they may have fallen behind on over the
course of the year. Will the Government provide additional
financial support for students who may need to study beyond the
normal academic year?
(Con)
My Lords, such decisions are for universities, as autonomous
institutions, to make in line with the guidance we have set out
this week.
(CB)
[V]
My Lords, would the Minister agree that the uncertainties of
lockdown and this incomprehensible delay are having a negative
impact on international students and the reputation of the UK as
a place to come and study? What impact does he think this will
have on the intake for 2021 and 2022?
(Con)
Students around the world will have seen how UK universities have
reacted admirably to the challenges posed by the pandemic,
designing and delivering high-quality online learning and
offering exceptional well-being and mental health support. The UK
was one of the first countries to introduce immigration
flexibility for students, and our new post-study work route, the
graduate route, will launch on 1 July, further encouraging
international students to choose to come and study in the UK.
