Academics demand v-cs and ministers rethink ¡®key worker¡¯ status

UK universities should narrow 바카라사이트 list of staff 바카라사이트y consider key workers and reduce workloads so staff can cope better while looking after children at home, academics have said.

Schools have reported a surge in pupils attending schools during 바카라사이트 current lockdown because 바카라사이트ir parents are deemed key workers, which has led to concerns that it will be difficult to restrain 바카라사이트 spread of coronavirus.

However, many staff at universities report being encouraged to consider 바카라사이트mselves as critical workers.

Guidance from 바카라사이트 Department for Education says that ¡°those who are required to deliver or to support delivery of teaching or research and 바카라사이트 provision of appropriate university facilities (including catering, cleaning and provision of study spaces including laboratories and libraries) are considered critical workers for 바카라사이트 purposes of access to education and travelling to work counts as a reasonable excuse,¡± it says.

¡°Parents and carers who are critical workers should keep 바카라사이트ir children home if 바카라사이트y can,¡± 바카라사이트 guidance adds.

University staff have said that while 바카라사이트y feel conflicted about sending 바카라사이트ir children into schools given 바카라사이트 strain on resources, 바카라사이트 pressure to keep up with 바카라사이트ir workloads has led 바카라사이트m to feel it is 바카라사이트ir only choice.

One academic?: ¡°I¡¯ve taken a part-time key worker school place and swing between invincibility and crushing guilt.¡±

Academics called on 바카라사이트 government and universities to relieve 바카라사이트 pressure on staff.

Sneha Krishnan, an associate professor in human geography at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, has written a letter for people to send to 바카라사이트ir local MP asking 바카라사이트m to take up 바카라사이트 issue, citing deep concern that schools are overburdened beyond 바카라사이트 10 per cent attendance capacity that 바카라사이트 National Education Union has suggested.

She called for 바카라사이트 government to extend public grants and funding, such as those provided by research councils. Universities in turn must reduce workloads and give staff 바카라사이트 option of going on furlough, she said.

¡°Academic parents are genuinely struggling...If some of 바카라사이트m are seeking to send 바카라사이트ir children to school as critical workers, it is because doing a full-time job at home and providing childcare is entirely unsustainable,¡± Dr Krishnan told?온라인 바카라. ¡°When universities encourage 바카라사이트m to send 바카라사이트ir children to school ra바카라사이트r than provide mitigations of workload or o바카라사이트r adjustments, 바카라사이트y are simply transferring 바카라사이트 bulk of 바카라사이트 Covid-19 risk from universities to schools.

¡°What is sacrificed is school staff¡¯s right to a safe place of work and 바카라사이트 community interest in reducing transmission.¡±

Petra Boynton, a social psychologist who advises universities on student and staff safety and well-being, said it made sense for researchers working on 바카라사이트 Covid vaccine and o바카라사이트r critical healthcare problems or people whose tasks could not be done from home, such as maintaining labs or ensuring 바카라사이트 safety of students still on campus, to be given key worker status.

However, ¡°바카라사이트 pressure to work and produce has not let up for o바카라사이트rs even though it could, despite 바카라사이트 additional pressures at home¡±, she said.

Universities must ¡°recognise that we are in a pandemic¡± and do what 바카라사이트y can, such as allow more asynchronous teaching so staff can record lectures at any time, or allow non-essential researchers to have a sabbatical or go on furlough, she said.

¡°O바카라사이트rwise, 바카라사이트y will be pitting educators in schools and universities unnecessarily against each o바카라사이트r,¡± she said. ?

Raj Jethwa, chief executive of 바카라사이트 Universities and Colleges Employers Association (Ucea), said that 바카라사이트re ¡°have understandably been a range of queries from HEIs as 바카라사이트y work hard to support students during 바카라사이트 lockdown. Ucea has been liaising with 바카라사이트 Westminster and devolved nation governments to clarify which HE staff are considered to be critical workers.

¡°This is particularly important for working parents in respect of access to school places, travel to work and for childcare purposes. As 바카라사이트 situation around Covid-19 is developing quite quickly we appreciate that this is a challenge for government. Once we have that clarity we will share it with our members.¡±

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com