THE director of Universities Scotland (US) has said he is “extremely confident” that universities have enough safety measures in place to enable students to start learning.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland yesterday morning, Alastair Sim said that US had been working extremely closely with staff, trade unions and student unions to put measures into place.

This came after the University and College Union (UCU) said that uncapped recruitment could overwhelm some institutions, and risked “turning universities into the care homes of a second wave”.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “Moving a million-plus students around the country is a recipe for disaster and risks leaving ill-prepared universities as the care homes of a second wave.

“Refusing to act now will only store up problems further down the line as courses are forced to move online and students forced into lockdown.”

Sim said he was a “little surprised” at the reaction from the UCU, adding a lot of the work had been put into place in conjunction with the staff and students, and expected further guidance from the Scottish Government today.

He said: “We’ve got physical distancing in place, a really high-quality blend of digital learning and face-to-face learning. We’ve got students being managed in small households, we’ve got attendance monitoring. We’ve got quarantine for students arriving from countries that aren’t exempt.”

He added: “You’re not going to see anything like a big traditional lecture, with students sitting next to each other in a big lecture hall. The blend will be predominantly towards digital learning.

“Although there are subjects like medicine, nursing and performance, where a strong face-to-face learning is needed, and that will be in place in a way that has been worked on to make sure it’s safe.”

It is unclear how many international students will make the journey over to learn in Scottish universities, with Sim saying many of them are still waiting on visas or cheaper flights.

He also that he trusts the students not to gather in large groups in pubs and restaurants, saying: “It is an extraordinary responsible generation, who have lived through this and understand the importance of it.”

University freshers’ weeks will be different this year amid concerns coronavirus could spread quickly among new students, according to Education Secretary John Swinney.

He said there had been extensive discussions around the return of students when the new academic year begins.

“I do have concerns about freshers’ week, and there have been extensive discussions between government, the universities, colleges, student unions and with the NUS [National Union of Students] about the measures we’ve got to put in place to try to ensure that freshers’ week is undertaken in a different fashion to what most students would have experienced over time,” he said.