Top universities in Britain refuse full face-to-face teaching in autumn
August 9, 2021, 6:09 am

Top universities in Britain refuse full face-to-face teaching in autumn

corona

The Xinhua reported according to UK local media reported Sunday that many of the top universities in Britain have refused to bring back full face-to-face teaching in the autumn, despite government advice that they can lift all COVID-19 restrictions.

The Xinhua said according to The Sunday Times report, 20 of the leading 24 Russell Group universities said a proportion of undergraduate teaching will continue to be held online, which means they will offer blended learning to mix the online and face-to-face teaching for classes, seminars and lectures.

Meanwhile, two-thirds of the 65 universities polled by the Times Higher Education magazine confirmed that most lectures would remain online for the coming academic year, but that they planned as much in-person teaching as possible.

They said the decisions were driven by the risk of coronavirus spreading in large lecture classrooms, as well as the educational benefits of blended learning.

Most universities said they would require students to wear masks on campuses. Some will also instruct students to socially distance. Students may also need to be double jabbed to attend concerts, discos or other social events.

The decision has dismayed college students who coped with severe disruption last year.

Students in Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool have launched petitions calling for a full return to "normality in terms of teaching" and demanding fee refunds. In Manchester, where some of the strictest lockdowns took place, nearly 10,000 have signed.

Claire Marchant, chief executive of the universities admissions service Ucas, said that online teaching might mean that universities could enrol more students.

It was predicted that top universities in Britain have to cope with a 10-percent surge of applicants with A and A+ grades, compared to 2019, due to the cancellation of college entrance exams in the pandemic.

Most COVID-19 restrictions in England have been lifted last month as part of the final step of the British government's roadmap out of the lockdown.

Britain has reported another 28,612 coronavirus cases in the 24-hour period, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 6,042,252, according to official figures released Saturday.

Nearly 90 percent of the adults in Britain have had their first dose of vaccine, while more than 74 percent have had their second jab, according to the latest figures.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Russia, the United States as well as the European Union have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines.

Source: xinhua

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”