
“Students left in dark regarding lecture times” – Ógra Aontú
Ógra Aontú have today called on the Minister for Higher Education, Simon Harris, to ensure that third level institutions around the country provide clarity with regards to lecture times and timetables.
Spokesperson for the group, Miriam Kehoe, a student of University College Dublin, said:
“Ógra Aontú have been in touch with many students around the country, in various colleges and institutes and they’re all relaying the same tale of woe. There seems to be a complete lack of clarity from colleges with regard to lecture times and timetable structures, with students receiving conflicting information every day. This problem is not unique to any one university, with students in UCD, Trinity College and NUI Galway all expressing the same sentiments”.
Miriam continued: “One student told us of how he was initially told that all his lectures would be online, before being told that he’d have one lecture on a Wednesday evening, before that was changed again to a Monday evening, all within the last week. This issue presents an impossible situation for students who are trying to juggle work and studies while also trying to source accommodation. Students are back to college on Monday, but decisions are changing every day – will they be back on campus? Or back online? If the answers to these questions are not clear, then how can students be expected to pay deposits on accommodation?”
“What is the purpose of paying for accommodation if a student is only physically required on campus for one day a week with the remaining days online? Students have again been left in the dark. Ógra Aontú is calling on Minister Harris to ensure that clarity is brought to the situation and that flexibility, in these strange times, is arranged for students. If a student lives in a lockdown county and has but one day of lectures a week in the other end of the country, then that student should be able to participate online. It is the view of Ógra Aontú that, on foot of these challenges, all lectures should be recorded and available for students to play back online”, concluded Miriam.
#ÓgraAontú #VoicesForChange