We will soon approach the two-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom. In these two years, people across the country have put their lives on hold, obeying endless rules and restrictions for the greater good of society, protecting the most vulnerable and elderly. During this time, university students have played their part considerably. Students have been through months of studying online, at the same full fee cost, whilst rules constantly fluctuated, harming their education and any normal experiences of young adult life. Fortunately, the pandemic has changed in these two years due to many waves of natural infection and immunity from vaccines. Approaches to continued waves of infection have largely adapted; thankfully, we are not in the same situation we faced two years ago.

However, it does not appear this way for many students who face starting the first term of 2022 online. This comes despite a continual decline in COVID infections across society – the new Omicron variant has been shown to be milder and cause less hospitalisations and deaths since emerging towards the end of 2021. Crucially, schools and colleges are providing in-person teaching, nightclubs and hospitality venues are open, travelling abroad is possible without the need for PCR tests on return, and self-isolation has been cut from ten to five days. As such, online teaching is reminiscent of the first lockdowns whereby COVID-19 was a much greater threat and unknown to society. If severe COVID-19 is now history, as many scientists are now saying, why is it permissible to restrict university students’ lives, diminish their quality of education and continue to unnecessarily harm an already burdened group?

Twenty-three of the top twenty-four Russell Group universities are offering blended learning this spring term. As such, thousands of students face many more hours of zoom fatigue and the associated drawbacks of online studying. Queens’ University Belfast has gone further, making all teaching remote for the month of January, even though hospitality and other sectors of society remain open. Durham University has also stated that although practical classes will continue with robust COVID measures, other teaching will begin online for the first week and then slowly be reintroduced for small groups from the second week. Across the Atlantic, many colleges are mirroring UK universities by starting the term online. These include Yale University, Duke University and Cornell University amongst others. Whilst some would argue that many are only starting the first few weeks online, there is a tangible anxiety that a couple of weeks could silently and swiftly transform into an entire term. 

These moves have undoubtedly disappointed students after strained years attempting to study remotely whilst the pandemic rages. Moreover, recent revelations have come to light about the behaviour of the British government during times of great societal sacrifices and stringent restrictions. Holding numerous parties and ‘cheese and wine meetings’ at times of social restrictions has deeply angered an already fractured and tense society, tired of coronavirus restrictions. The blatant lack of rule-following by our government has strengthened the feeling of ‘one rule for them and one rule for us.’ Therefore, continued damaging changes to higher education in 2022 appear grossly unjustified.

The Education Secretary, Nadhim Zahawi has, to the delight of students, condemned universities’ decisions to start 2022 online, stating there are ‘no excuses’ for universities not to deliver face-to-face teaching. However, Zahawi called for students to complain about these issues themselves to the Office for Students, offering little support from his position of power as the Education Secretary. His response shows a disappointing lack of care, but accurately represents a government that has continually ignored higher education students since the start of this pandemic. Students should not be expected to solve this problem alone and must be supported adequately by those who can implement change. The Universities Minister, Michelle Donelan, has also pressed for transparency from universities over the reality of learning. However, stating that ‘universities must listen to students’ showcases a great lack of understanding on the reality of the power of student voices. Also, Donelan herself has ignored student voices in the past, having claimed that a student-led campaign at the University of Sussex to remove a transphobic professor was a threat to freedom of speech. 

Therefore, with the reality of coronavirus not waning anytime soon, it is essential that universities do not continue to restrict students in their education and young lives. Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia states that ‘this is a disease that is not going away’ and with most of the nation coming to terms with this months ago, we must move forward and stop restrictions that in the long-term, only delay a problem that will not disappear. With students having followed the rules like everyone else, and exhibiting high levels of vaccination, when will we learn that human existence cannot be risk free. 

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