Minister ‘goading v-cs to ignore health fears’ with fees warning

A union has accused Gavin Williamson of “encouraging managers to ignore health and safety concerns” after the Westminster government’s education secretary hinted that English universities should offer tuition fee refunds if students do not get the in-person teaching they expect next year.

Speaking as A-level results were released, Mr Williamson told broadcasters that he expected universities to be offering face-to-face teaching, including lectures, “unless there’s unprecedented reasons”.

“I think universities have got to sort of stand up their offer to their own students. I think they have the flexibility and the ability to deliver face-to-face lectures, and expect them to be delivering face-to-face lectures,” he told Sky News.

But a Times Higher Education survey of 65 universities, published last week, found that three out of five institutions planned to keep lectures online-only, citing concern over the Covid-19 transmission risk in packed theatres, as well as the pedagogical benefits of online learning.

The issue poses a potential political problem for universities, with students widely perceiving digital learning to offer poorer value for money than in-person teaching, and ministers reportedly considering cutting the English tuition fee cap to £7,500.

Mr Williamson said that the English regulator, the Office for Students, would have “all the power, all the backing, in order to pursue those universities that aren’t delivering enough for students that are paying their fees”.

“I think if universities are not delivering, not delivering what students expect, then actually they shouldn’t be charging the full fees,” Mr Williamson said.

However, the government does not have the power to direct universities’ teaching models and in previous statements has largely accepted that online learning can still be high quality.

The University and College Union said that Mr Williamson should “reflect on his own failings before denigrating the excellent online provision staff have provided”, arguing that last year “it was government’s failure to guarantee financial support for the sector that led to students being lured back to unsafe campuses with the false promise of a normal university experience during a pandemic, with disastrous consequences”.

“Sadly, the secretary of state has clearly not learned any lessons and is yet again attacking university staff, peddling damaging and false narratives about the quality of online learning, and recklessly encouraging managers to ignore health and safety concerns to protect university finances,” said UCU general secretary Jo Grady.

“Instead of threatening universities with a fee reduction for putting health and safety first during a pandemic, the government should be investing in higher education so universities aren’t reliant on fees.”

A spokesman for the Russell Group of research-intensive universities said that students “can expect most seminars, small-group classes and lab work to be taught in-person, alongside a range of extracurricular activity, social events and support services on campus”.

“An element of digital learning, which was also an important feature of university courses pre-pandemic, will continue – both to enhance learning and also to provide the flexibility to respond to public health measures or local outbreaks where necessary while minimising disruption,” the spokesman said.

“Alongside a return to in-person seminars and group study, we know that many students see benefits in keeping some larger lectures online, welcoming the increased flexibility in the learning process, greater accessibility and better engagement with course content.”

chris.havergal@timeshighereducation.com