University of Manchester moves some teaching online for end of the semester

The uni says ‘the majority of in-person teaching will continue”


Several University of Manchester schools informed students this morning that teaching for the rest of Semester One will be moved online with immediate effect.

Emails shared with The Manchester Tab show that at least the School of Social Science and School of Arts, Languages and Cultures had moved teaching online for the rest of the week.

An email from the School of Social Sciences stated the decision was taken to ensure: “Those of you that may want to travel home earlier than planned have the flexibility to do so – given growing concerns about transmission rates of the Omicron Covid variant.”

Just last Friday the uni had issued a statement claiming that “campuses will remain open and in-person teaching, research and student support will continue”.

The news comes as the Omicron variant is now estimated to be infecting 200,000 people per day. Focus will now be on whether this move back to online teaching remains in place after the Christmas break or whether it is just a short-term move.

A University of Manchester spokesperson said: “The majority of in-person teaching will continue, but there may be some temporary online teaching where local teams feel that this is in the best interests of students to provide them with added flexibility ahead of the Christmas break. We will continue to ensure that all the precautions we have in place will remain.

“Our libraries, learning spaces, catering, sports, and student support facilities will all remain open.

“Currently, plans for Semester 2 remain unchanged as announced last week, focused on in-person teaching on campus. We are currently reviewing options based on the latest intelligence and we will provide an update as soon as possible.”

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