The pandemic exposes why a higher education model built on fees is precarious and shows the urgent need for reform
We have now seen more than 27,000 cases of Covid at universities since the government told students it was safe to return to campus. We cannot let this disaster be repeated in January. That is why the University and College Union (UCU) has launched a legal challenge over Westminster’s decision to ignore advice from its own Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) and let students return to campus.
Sage advised several weeks ago that as much university teaching as possible should shift online to help contain the pandemic. UCU has been saying the same for months, but our pleas have fallen on deaf ears as institutions across the UK have peddled the myth that students could expect a relatively normal university experience.
