Thousands sign petition by London student
It calls for an earlier return to in-person teaching at University
A petition launched by a student from London, calling for all students to be allowed to return to university at the start of the summer term has reached 10,000 signatures.
The petition is a reaction to the news that in-person teaching at Universities will not return before at least May 17.
It says:
“With pub gardens and salons set to open next week, the question we must ask is why have university students not been prioritised in the government’s roadmap out of lockdown?”
Connie Claxon, who is part of the team behind the petition, said:
“We don’t understand why we can go to a zoo or a theme park, but we can’t go back to the Universities that we are paying nine grand a year to attend.
"It just seems completely unfair”.
“May 17th is about halfway through my term and for finalists they’ll be going back just in time to sit their exams.
"But at other universities, term literally finishes the week after or even before May 17th in some cases, so it’s a very poor choice of date”.
The petition is part of a wider campaign called #OurTurntoReturn.
Connie said:
“With enough support, we are really hoping to turn the decision around, to get government Ministers to reverse the decision and let university students back as soon as possible”.
Students have been taught online since Christmas, with the exception of those on some practical courses.
Universities Minister, Michelle Donelan, said in a statement that the Government “recognise just how difficult and disruptive the last year has been for students. However, the road map is designed to maintain a cautious approach to the easing of restrictions to ensure that we can maintain progress towards full reopening”.