Monday News Round-Up With The AIM Group

Here’s The AIM Groups round-up of all the latest news from the education industry! 

Mass Covid student testing has started for universities across the UK 

Many universities across the UK have begun opening temporary testing centres to check students for Covid-19 before they leave for Christmas. 

Each student tested will have to take two separate tests: three days apart. If they test negative in both tests, many will leave within the university travel window which starts from the 3rd December and ends on the 9th December. 

However, the UK’s largest academic union, The University and College Union (UCU) has expressed concerns over the accuracy of the tests being used. Some experts have even criticized them after infected people reportedly received false negative results. It’s predicted it could miss over 50% of actual Covid-19 cases depending on whose using them. 

The UCU also noted that the prospect of testing hundreds of thousands of students in such a small-time frame, whilst following social distancing would be extremely challenging. 

Although, a government spokesperson has clarified that they have set out tailored guidance to universities designed by health professionals and they hoped this would enable students to return home for the Christmas holidays while minimising the risk of transmitting the virus. 

SNP pledge free school meals all year round from primary schools 

Scotland could become the first nation within the UK to provide free breakfast and lunch for primary school children all year round, if the SNP is re-elected in May.  

The news follows the UK governments U-turn on free school meals after Manchester United footballer, Marcus Rashford led a campaign to end child hunger. 

Currently, Scotland offer free lunches for children in years one to three and eligibility for breakfasts depends on local councils. However, if these new proposals were put into place, universal free school lunches would be extended to all primary school pupils from years one to seven. 

The changes would also ensure that the Scottish government continues to extend free meals throughout holidays such as Christmas and Easter even after the pandemic has ended. 

University students could be awarded compensation for any teaching time lost in lockdown 

Students who lost teaching time during lockdown could receive financial compensation. The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (The OIA) has received almost 200 complaints from students about how Covid-19 has disrupted their university experience, although they suspect there is far more to a lag in the complaints process with universities.  

In one circumstance, an international student was awarded £1,000 as the university had not taken the proper steps to reduce disruption to their learning experience. In another, four weeks of teaching for a module and a final project worth 60% of the module were cancelled. 

Other complaints about tuition fee refunds were rejected as the universities were deemed to have taken the necessary steps to ensure students could still achieve their learning outcomes. 

The National Union of Students (NUS) has called for universities to simplify their complaints process, after claiming students had been passed on and their concerns had been disregarded.