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Leeds MPs call for all uni teaching to be moved online

Ah well, it was fun while it lasted


For those of you getting any face-to-face teaching at all, your luck might be about to change, and not for the better.

A group of Leeds MPs have written to The University of Leeds calling for all teaching to be moved online, unless it absolutely has to be done face-to-face.

Hilary Benn, Richard Burgon, Fabian Hamilton, Rachel Reeves and Alex Sobel all signed the letter addressed to Leeds Uni Vice-Chancellor Simone Buitendijk.

The letter reads: “Stating clearly that lessons should all be moved online, unless there is no possible way of doing so, would dramatically decrease the number of staff and students needed on campus and may even encourage students to study their courses from home rather than in their university accommodations where the risk of infection is elevated.

“Minimal face to face teaching, together with minimal support staff on campus, would reduce the risks to everyone – students, teaching staff, researchers, and essential campus staff.”

The letter also called for greater transparency on the number of coronavirus cases at the Uni.

From next week The University of Leeds will be publishing statistics concerning coronavirus on an online dashboard.

The letter comes as UCU Leeds continues to put pressure on Leeds Uni to make its campus a safe environment.

University of Leeds UCU branch president Ben Plumpton said: “With increased rates of Covid nationally and locally, the university must limit the amount of activity on campus in order to reduce the risk to everyone.

“The health of staff, students and the wider community is too important to gamble with. This cannot be business as usual.”

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