Locked-down students are paying a heavy price

Students are the forgotten victims of lockdown. Having worked hard to achieve their grades, undergraduates have been consigned to their bedrooms to learn online. There’s been no socialising, freshers fun or the chance to make new friends. The only thing that has been the same for the Covid class of 2021 are sky high fees.

Finally, the government has announced that all university students will be able to return from the 17 May. While some undergraduates may be relieved to get some much-needed clarity, most will be deeply, deeply frustrated.

Many students are asking why universities did not open again when schools did. They are also wondering why they can currently go shopping, get a tattoo, take a day trip to Alton Towers or have a massage, but they cannot sit in a well-ventilated, socially-distanced seminar room wearing masks. They are raising serious questions about what this means for tuition fees and rent.