Senior Tories call for tuition refunds for university students forced to lock down

University students who face being locked down in their university halls with no face-to-face teaching should be given refunds, senior Conservatives have urged.

George Freeman, a former transport minister, on Sunday joined a growing list of MPs calling for compensation for undergraduates whose learning has been disrupted by the pandemic.

With more than 3,000 students across England and Scotland currently in self-isolation, Mr Freeman said he wanted every university to “look seriously” at giving students the choice of “reduced fees if they’re not getting the full experience.”

“I don’t think they're getting the education the previous generation has got and I don’t think they should be paying the same amount,” he told the BBC.

“There is a point here about a generational unfairness. They had a very difficult time in A-levels, they are now having a very compromised university experience, they are going to come out into the world of work really reeling from the covid recession, and I think we owe them one.”

His intervention came after Robert Halfon, the chairman of the Commons education committee, told The Sunday Telegraph that ministers and the universities regulator should consider offering discounts for those forced to quarantine.

Their concerns were echoed by Lord Adonis, a former Labour education minister, who said:  “I don’t think students should have to pay £9,000 this year if they are not receiving full tuition.”

Larissa Kennedy, the president of the National Union of Students, argued that if students' quality of learning was severely impacted then they “need to see tuition fees reimbursed.”

It came as first-year students across the country claimed they had been “lied to” over the preparations on campus, complaining of a lack of access to basic items, such as food and toilet roll, while friends had already returned home to escape lockdowns.

On Sunday evening the Scottish Government, which has faced a widespread backlash over blanket restrictions on students, appeared to signal a climbdown as it published new guidance making clear the circumstances in which they could return home.

While students are banned from mixing with different households, the guidance said that a "reasonable excuse" for not complying with the restrictions included a "visit home for a family emergency...or for wellbeing reasons."

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph, Chris Skidmore, the former universities minister, urged the Education Secretary Gavin Williamson to establish emergency funds to help poorer students purchase equipment for online learning.

He added that ministers should urgently clarify that no student would be forced to pay additional rent if they were forced to self-isolate in student accomodation beyond the period specified in their contract.

Lord Willetts, the architect of higher tuition fees, said universities should consider releasing hardship funds for those worst affected, including to help with rent payments.

However, the Department for Education insisted that universities were “autonomous” institutions, adding that students demanding refunds should raise concerns with their individual university, before proceeding to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.

Up to 1,700 students at Manchester Metropolitan University and hundreds at other institutions, including in Edinburgh and Glasgow, are currently self-isolating following Covid-19 outbreaks.

Many have been told to remain in their halls of residence, raising fears of mass dropouts and the prospect of some being barred from returning home at Christmas if the country is in the grip of a second wave.

Speaking to Sky News, Oliver Dowden, the Culture Secretary, said that students should be able to return home if “we all pull together” and observed the latest coronavirus restrictions.

Defending the decision to send students back to university, Mr Dowden told the BBC:  "Young people have paid a huge price during this crisis and I think it is only fair to try and get them back - we have got clear guidelines for them to follow."

However, Labour has demanded that Mr Williamson come before MPs tomorrow to give a personal guarantee that no student will be barred from seeing their family over the festive period due to a lack of testing.

A Department for Education spokesman said: “We understand this has been a very difficult time for students, which is why we have prioritised their education and wellbeing, by supporting universities to provide a blend of online and in-person learning in a Covid secure way this term.

“The Government expects universities to continue to deliver a high-quality academic experience and we know many institutions have worked to ensure courses are fit for purpose and help students achieve their academic goals.

“Universities are autonomous and there is an established process in place for students with concerns about their education.

“Students should first raise their concerns with their provider and any unresolved complaints at providers in England and Wales should go to the Office for the Independent Adjudicator, which has published guidance on this issue.”