More than 100,000 students try to sue universities over disruption to their studies

Published

11 months ago

May 24, 2023

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More than 100,000 students are attempting to sue their universities over disruption to their studies because of the pandemic and strike action.

When COVID hit in 2020 much of students’ learning went online, classrooms were shut, and social events cancelled.

Shannon Barnes, who is finishing her final exams at UCL where she studies physiology and is seeking compensation, said: “We were given a kit of weighing scales and an origami microscope and various simplified versions of equipment that you’d have in a lab, week on week we were told to do these simplified experiments from home, one of them was making a cake.

“Having had one year of fully in-person, seeing lecturers, completing practicals, going to tutorials, yet I’m going to come out of with a debt of more than £40,000 or £50,000, it just doesn’t seem right.”

Students who are unhappy with their teaching can complain directly to their university and then the Office for the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIAHE), who received a record number of complaints in 2022, and awarded more than £1 million in compensation.

Now students from over 100 universities are taking part in this “no win no fee” dispute and have joined group cases via StudentGroupClaim.co.uk to seek compensation of up to £5,000.

For international students it could be more due to the higher fees which they paid.

This legal action focuses on students enrolled during the pandemic, along with others who had learning affected by strike action by lecturers from 2018-2022.

The first case to reach court is against University College London (UCL), who say they followed UK government guidance and “ensured that a high-quality academic experience was provided to students”.

They say going to court is premature and want students to go through their internal complaints’ procedure and then the OIAHE.

But lawyers for the students disagree.

Ryan Dunleavy, a partner from Harcus Parker said: “We’re arguing, like any other consumer and like any other person in this country, that they have article six rights which gives you the right to a fair trial, and we believe that fair trial should be heard in court.”

At the hearing at the High Court, a judge will decide whether the students at UCL are allowed to pursue their claims in court.

If the claim against UCL is allowed to proceed, similar claims will be brought against other universities, therefore the outcome of Wednesday will set a precedent.

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‘We are proud of how universities adapted’

It comes amid ongoing industrial action by the University and College Union, who are continuing a marking and assessment boycott over pay and working conditions, leaving many students across the country unclear if they will even graduate this summer.

Universities UK said: “The COVID-19 pandemic threw two years of unprecedented challenge at the higher education sector and our students, and we are proud of how universities adapted and managed in adverse circumstances.

“During some periods of lockdown, universities were not permitted to offer teaching and learning as usual, and instead universities adjusted quickly and creatively to ensure students could learn and graduate.”

Professor Kathleen Armour, Vice-President (Education & Student Experience) at UCL said: “We recognise that for many students, the last few years have been a disruptive and unsettling time.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, we followed UK government guidance and prioritised the health and safety of our community.

“Our lecturers and support staff worked tirelessly to make our campus and all UCL premises as safe as possible and ensured that a high-quality academic experience was provided to students.

“We have also been fully committed to minimising the impact of industrial action, to ensure students are not academically disadvantaged.”

UK

Murder suspect in hospital after 14-year-old killed in sword attack in London

Published

6 hours ago

May 1, 2024

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Murder suspect in hospital after 14-year-old killed in sword attack in London

A murder suspect remains in hospital after a 14-year-old boy was killed and four others injured in a sword attack in northeast London.

A 36-year-old man was tasered and arrested at the scene in Hainault on Tuesday morning.

He was taken to hospital after sustaining injuries during the incident when his van hit a house.

The Metropolitan Police said he had not yet been interviewed because of his injuries.

Police were initially called at 7am on Tuesday to reports of a vehicle being driven into a house in Hainault.

A man was later seen wielding a sword and attacking members of the public on a road near Hainault tube station.

The suspect was arrested 22 minutes later. Doorbell footage showed the moment officers cornered the hooded man, who was still holding his weapon, in a driveway.

Police confirmed on Tuesday that one person – a teenage boy – had died and four others were injured during the incident.

Among those injured were two police officers who suffered wounds that required surgery, but were not life-threatening, and two members of the public.

Police said they did not think it was a targeted attack, or terror-related, and they were working to establish the circumstances of what took place.

Eyewitnesses described hearing shrieking and seeing someone receive CPR at the scene of the stabbings.

Video of part of the incident showed how officers shouted at the suspect, saying “Don’t move, don’t f****** move” after he was brought to the ground by three separate Taser discharges before being arrested.

Other footage showed the suspect being chased by police as an officer is heard shouting “Lock your doors” as the sword-wielding man entered residential gardens.

In another clip, a police car arrives before the man verbally confronts the police and shouts “Is there anybody here who believes in God?” while standing next to a body.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe said there had been speculation about whether police had been aware of the suspect before the incident.

She said that, despite urgent and extensive checks, police had “found no trace of a prior incident involving him so far, but we will of course continue to make those inquiries”.

A neighbour from a nearby road, who witnessed the incident, told PA news agency the suspect pulled a “samurai sword from the back of his trousers”.

James Fernando, 39, said the suspect had asked one of his neighbours to “take the telephone from him to tell whoever was on the phone his location”.

“Within two seconds she realised something wasn’t right, started running, and he pulled a samurai sword from the back of his trousers,” he said.

“She shouted to the other neighbour – a boy who was on his way to school. As he’s turned around, he’s struck him on the face.”

Mr Fernando said the suspect then started “running around with the sword in his hand looking for victims”.

Another witness, who asked not to be named, said: “He was wielding his sword trying to attack the police but then they sprayed him and he ran away.

“We were very scared and trying to hide and not show ourselves through the window, because he was standing right next to our house and he could have seen us if he looked up.

UK

First failed asylum seeker sent from UK to Rwanda on voluntary scheme

Published

6 hours ago

May 1, 2024

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First failed asylum seeker sent from UK to Rwanda on voluntary scheme

The UK has sent the first failed asylum seeker to Rwanda under a voluntary scheme.

The scheme is for those who have gone through the asylum process and had permission rejected, rather than for migrants who have illegally entered Britain by crossing the Channel on small boats.

The migrant was sent on a commercial flight and handed a fee from the British taxpayer to help relocate under the terms of a deal with Rwanda.

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According to The Sun, the man of African origin claimed asylum in the UK but was rejected at the end of last year. He then accepted the offer to go to Rwanda.

He left the UK on Monday.

This was not done using the powers set out in the Safety of Rwanda Act, but rather a parallel scheme that allows someone to choose to make the trip if their attempts to claim asylum in the UK fails.

And upon arrival in Kigali, the person is able to claim around £3,000 in UK taxpayer money as help.

The development was criticised by both the Labour Party and Reform UK director Nigel Farage.

Yvette Cooper, Labour’s shadow home secretary, said: “The Tories are so desperate to get any flight off to Rwanda before the local elections that they have now just paid someone to go.

“British taxpayers aren’t just forking out £3,000 for a volunteer to board a plane, they are also paying Rwanda to provide him with free board and lodgings for the next five years. This extortionate pre-election gimmick is likely to be costing on average £2m per person.

“Former Tory Home Office ministers warned that the government’s plan was just to get token flights off before a General Election. Now we know what they mean.”

Former UKIP leader Mr Farage said: “Don’t be conned by this new government spin on the Rwanda deal.

“This African man, who did not even cross the Channel, was refused asylum and has voluntarily accepted £3,000 and free board.

“It won’t stop the boats.”

The government’s attempts to forcefully remove people to Rwanda were announced more than two years ago, but no one has been sent so far.

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Earlier this month, parliament passed the Safety of Rwanda Act, and the government hopes to get flights off the ground in nine to 11 weeks.

A government spokesperson said: “We are now able to send asylum seekers to Rwanda under our migration and economic development partnership.

“This deal allows people with no immigration status in the UK to be relocated to a safe third country where they will be supported to rebuild.”

UK

‘Thanks to God’: Woman’s joy on making it to England after 30 attempts

Published

6 hours ago

May 1, 2024

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'Thanks to God': Woman's joy on making it to England after 30 attempts

Less than a week after she survived a migrant boat disaster in which five people died, Heivin is standing in a car park next to a shabby hotel near London, smiling and joyous.

After a string of failed attempts to reach England, her dream has finally been fulfilled.

“It was really hard and dangerous for me, but I finally made it here, thanks to God,” she said.

“I am very happy to be here because I think it is a safe country and it is very suitable for me. But part of me is still in shock that the journey is finally over.”

She is a slight young woman, just 18 years old but blessed with a confidence that allowed her to persevere when others might have given up.

She left Kurdistan around a year ago, crossing Europe to France, and living in camps, woodland and in underpasses along the way.

“It was very hard,” she says.

“Especially when you’re on your own, and a young woman. It can be very dangerous.”

Kurdistan is a region that straddles Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq, and whose people have historically faced ethnic and political persecution from the governments of those countries.

Heivin tried 30 times to reach England from the coast of northern France, with her penultimate attempt seeing her take a place on a boat that was wildly overcrowded after it was violently hijacked by a rival group of migrants.

In the ensuing melee, five people died, including a young child.

It was shortly after that trauma that we met Heivin for the first time, as she was recovering from the ordeal of that boat. The memories still haunted her of seeing people crushed.

Even then, Heivin said she would be trying again and, in the early hours of Saturday morning, she made it. Her boat left a French beach in the early hours and chugged towards Britain.

The people smugglers who arranged the crossing, she says, were “good with us”.

“We only had to wait for three to four hours, then we went down the beach and boarded the dinghy.”

But the boat, as so often with these crossings, was ill-equipped and struggled in the water before being intercepted by a French coastguard vessel, which offered assistance.

Of nearly 60 people on board, 33 were taken off, but the others, including Heivin, remained at sea, determined to get to Britain.

“This time I went, but I always had the feeling that I would not make it and have to return like the other times.

“It was also extremely cold that night and my clothes were soaking wet. I kept saying to myself “I won’t make it”, but thank God, I did make it.”

The decisive point came when the dinghy entered British waters and, before long, the passengers on board were collected by a Border Force vessel and taken to the mainland.

“How did you feel when you saw the British boat,” I asked.

Heivin’s face breaks into a broad smile and she says “so happy” with a shake of her head that is loaded with emotion.

“I felt overjoyed. I didn’t expect that we would make it to Britain. I thought we would just end up back in France again, like the other times. When I saw the British boat, I was extremely happy – I just can’t explain it. I’m so happy.”