Students will have a staggered return to Scottish universities after Christmas

A staggered return to universities that involves testing will formulate Scottish government plans to ensure students can return home for Christmas.

Hundreds of students have currently tested positive for Covid-19 with thousands being told to self-isolate.

The Deputy First Minister John Swinney stated that “some of the points we are looking at are staggered returns of students, arrangements for how testing can be part of the architecture of how we handle that return”, according to the BBC.

Mr Swinney also remarked that the forthcoming discussions with the UK government involved “intense detail” to ensure safety and preventing the virus from being more widespread.

Matt Crilly, president of the National Union of Students (NUS) Scotland, stated that the union wanted to see a “clear and coherent” plan from the Scottish government urgently.

Mr Crilly stated that “in terms of a return to campus in the new year, we must avoid a repeat of the mass outbreaks we saw among the student population in the autumn”, and that “NUS Scotland continues to call for remote learning to be the default position”.

Scottish Liberal Democrat Leader Willie Rennie also believed asymptotic testing could help to “hunt down and drive out” the virus from different locations.

Some of the points we are looking at are staggered returns of students, arrangements for how testing can be part of the architecture of how we handle that return

– John Swinney

Students in Scotland have been asked to stay away from parties, pubs and restaurants and have only been allowed to return home if they could self-isolate with families going into quarantine.

Edinburgh University students have already staged a protest against their “mistreatment” by the university due to the “false promise” of hybrid learning.

A spokesperson for the university stated they had been working “tirelessly” to ensure students received the world class education they expected.

The spokesperson said: “We have been working closely with the Students’ Union and other student groups to ensure that their views are heard at the highest level.

“Students are receiving a hybrid learning experience, in line with Scottish government guidance, with some in-person teaching taking place on campus.”