Scottish students may have to stay in over Christmas

The Education Secretary stressed that the Scottish Government want to avoid this “at all possible cost” but that it was entirely dependent on the coronavirus infection rate being reduced.

The Scottish Tories accused him of taking a “just wait and see” approach and said Swinney needed to give students and families “urgent clarity” over its plans for the festive period.

In an interview with the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland, Swinney was asked if students could be forced to remain in halls of residence if the infection rate remains high, he said: “We want to avoid that at all possible cost because we want students to return home.

“But I have to be realistic that, if we have a situation where the virus has not been controlled, then we will have to look at other scenarios and other plans.”

Swinney added: “There is a lot of thinking and work going on within the Scottish Government, with Universities Scotland, the institutions, with the National Union of Students, and also with the governments in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to try to make sure this can be undertaken as safely as possible.

“But there obviously is a risk that if the virus is not contained, then we may not be able to support the return of students to their homes.

“We want to avoid that but it is a realistic possibility.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told the Scottish Government’s coronavirus briefing on Monday that she understands students will be “worried and anxious” about the prospect of being unable to return home at Christmas but she does not want to give them “false assurances”.

“We will do everything we can over the next few weeks to set out a path that sees you able to return home for Christmas, that is what we all want to see,” she said.

Sturgeon confirmed the Scottish Government is looking at phased term dates and possible testing of students and issues of people returning home where there are vulnerable people.

The First Minister added: “The really difficult thing in all of this is that we are living through an inherently uncertain and unpredictable pandemic.

“That means we can always give the absolute cast-iron certainty on anything right now that I know people desperately want and I desperately would like to be able to give.”

Scottish Conservative education spokesman Jamie Greene said:”With just eight weeks until Christmas, the SNP must give students and families urgent clarity over its plans for the festive period.“They can ill-afford to repeat their chaotic mistakes that students endured when they returned to university in September, leaving many alone and with no support.

“John Swinney seems to be taking a ‘just wait and see’ approach, which offers very little comfort that thousands of young people will actually be able to see their families this Christmas.”