After a year of being confined to our homes, students gained a sense of hope back in September. Schools, colleges and universities were given the green light – allowing students to return to their learning.
Then, after only 3 months, the country was struck with a full national lockdown after Christmas. Many people believe that students have become collateral damage of nearly a year-long pandemic.
I spoke with 4 university students, who told their stories of virtual learning and issues with poor mental health, and described how their university has reacted to the recent lockdowns.
Student 1: From University of Salford
Student 2: From University of Lincoln
Student 3: From University of Glasgow
Student 4: From University of Birmingham
Reduced lessons:
“she is struggling with the change to virtual lessons with teachers”
Having to use Microsoft Teams or Zoom has allowed students to stay in touch with their teachers. However, one issue facing students is that having discussions about their work is more difficult.
I spoke to a student from the University of Lincoln, who stated she is struggling with the change to virtual lessons with teachers, which prevents her from being able to concentrate and understand the work properly. She added: “it’s the final year [so] this would have been the year to get as much support as possible.”
Living in university accommodation during lockdown:
The student from the University of Glasgow reported that they’d had issues with internet connection and software while living in university halls. With more than 5 people living together at once, the internet hasn’t been able to support them all online.
Impact on mental health:
The student from the University of Lincoln stated, “Not going to lecture [or] the library takes away a lot of the social element of university, which [normally] helps you get through the academic stress.”
Another student mentioned that virtual classes were “a good opportunity to get some face-to-face contact.”
From the University of Glasgow, a student reported that her university had sent out support emails, but stated “to be honest, it all seems [like] performativity.”
On a positive note, I spoke with a student from the University of Birmingham who said that the university had implemented a “five-day grace period for deadlines”. This allowed them to have a few extra days to submit assignments without being penalised. However, the university had refused to implement a no detriment policy or safety net.
Losing out on the university experience:
“Those still living on campus have been left feeling deflated.”
With virtual learning now completely mandatory across the country- due to the announcement of the UK’s third national lockdown – many university events have been cancelled, and those that haven’t been cancelled have been moved online. Previously, students on campus would use weekly events to help with exam stress; now that isn’t possible due to social distancing restrictions.
Those still living on campus have been left feeling deflated. The student from the University of Birmingham reported that current events are “demoralising [due to] not being able to make the most of university life.”
Some final advice to the Government, from your Students:
There is a deep-rooted consensus among the public, that the government should’ve taken action instantly by closing our borders. Failure to do this has caused criticism from the Opposition and other national parties too.
Student 1 (Salford) – “[They] should’ve closed the borders earlier.”
Student 2 (Lincoln) – “If we’d have just stopped international travel, then we could have avoided this.”
All students agreed that closing schools and colleges was essential, but should’ve been announced much earlier.
Others I spoke with criticised the failure of the Track and Trace system.
“it is essential that the government listens to the cries of help from students.”
Much of the public have praised the devolved government in Scotland, for choosing to place Scotland into a lockdown, before the Prime Minister announced a national lockdown. Student 4 (Birmingham) stated the government “should have put the lockdowns in place much earlier [instead of] skirting around the issue.”
Now more than ever, it is essential that the government listens to the cries of help from students. This is the generation that, in 10 years time, will be expected to shift the nation into a improved economic state. There are thousands upon thousands of students around the country who would appreciate more clarity, honesty and respect. While other countries in Europe are able to return to a sense of normality, here we are – in our third national lockdown, still arguing whether it is necessary to close borders nearly a year into the pandemic.
Thank you to all the students who expressed their views and explained their experiences.
No one should have to struggle through lockdown on their own so, if you or someone else is in need, do not hesitate to reach out for support from the following:
Samaritans: 116 123 (Welsh 0808 164 0123)
The Mix (under 25s): 0808 808 4994 (Sun-Fri 2pm-11pm)
Switchboard (LGBT+ helpline): 0300 330 0630 (10am-10pm)
Annaleece Longmore
Featured image courtesy Chris Montgomery on Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes have been made to this image.