This week the Government announced that university teaching would remain online until their next review on 12 April.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s ‘roadmap’ out of lockdown states that only school pupils and university students on practical courses will return to face-to-face teaching on 8 March.
Sheffield students have shared their views with Forge Press on the news that they will continue learning online until the Easter holidays.
Liam Fitzpatrick, a BA Journalism student, said the announcement shows a “disregard for students” and believes universities should open as soon as possible.
“We are the middle men between school kids who are seen as important and must be in school and office workers who can work from home until June”, he said.
“Sending universities back would be a bad move combined with schools so the Government should wait and consider the data from schools going back, and if hospitalisations and deaths are still falling, we should be reopened”.
Fitzpatrick said the University campus should fully reopen with social-distancing after Easter.
“Anything later than Easter would be yet another instance of this Government failing Higher Education”, he added.
Sam Eyre, a first-year History and Politics student, commutes to the University and said he is worried about the risk attached to in-person teaching following student parties in the first semester.
“Coronavirus ran rampant because of these parties. It was a worry to me that this would be passed on to me, I would then go home and infect my parents who are both in their fifties and not fit people thus it would likely put them in hospital”, he said.
Eyre said if his parents have received the vaccine and the infection rate is low, he would be happy to attend in-person seminars after the Easter break.
Natalie Dyer, an MSc Science Communication student, said if teaching is to remain online until Easter, the University should commit to staying online for the rest of the academic year.
“At least then I could try to end my housing contract in Sheffield. I’ve spent over £2,500 so far on a room that I’ve only lived in for eight weeks”, she said.
“I’m not blaming the University for the Government’s decision-making, but at this point I don’t want to continue paying for that room if I’m only going to be using it for five weeks after Easter.”
BA Journalism student Michelle Almeida would also rather not return to in-person teaching after Easter.
As an international student, Almeida spent the Christmas vacation period in Dubai having left Sheffield during the travel corridor, but could not travel back due to Covid-19 restrictions.
She said: “I would rather come back for the next academic year because it just doesn’t make sense having to travel, quarantine and then attend university until exam season only to go back for the summer once again”.
The time difference means Almeida’s online classes start late in the afternoon and continue into the night, which she said has taken a toll on her mental health.
“Luckily I have my family with me to help cope with the pressure. I just hope we’re not stuck in dorm rooms with online learning once again”, she said.