A public inquiry is needed to investigate why the start of academic term 2020/21 resulted in: students being prevented from leaving accommodation, overworked academic staff, concerns about university finances, all without clear steer or support from Government.
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Several factors contributed to the chaotic start of university term, most obviously the Covid-19 virus.
We must, however, understand the other factors to prevent such damage in future, including but not limited to:
- Need for universities to compete for student fees
- Underfunding of research, which led to overreliance on overseas student fee income
- Role of private accommodation providers
- Structure of university governance
- Lack of coordination between sector-wide bodies and government