The end of online education is finally in sight! Students and lecturers are taking a collective sigh of relief after news broke that restrictions in higher education may end. This is yet to be confirmed in the press conference tonight.
Earlier this summer, Dutch universities made it clear to the government that, in their eyes, higher education should be the number one priority when it came to further relaxation of measures. And it seems the government listened, reports the NOS.
What will the new academic year look like?
When higher education begins in September, students can expect a return to pre-corona teaching (almost).
Over the past year and a half, students could only take one or two classes on campus per week. Now, in-person classes are finally back on the schedule as the new academic year is expected to be fully on campus.
Moreover, students won’t have to adhere to the one-and-a-half metres social distancing requirement. Something Dutch universities have described as disruptive to learning.
It’s not just students who are over the moon about this decision:
Some measures remain
Not all restrictions are lifted from higher education in the Netherland though. Likely, the capacity in lecture halls will be limited to 75 students and all facilities should be well ventilated. One-way traffic should be enforced in all buildings as well.
Voluntary testing might also be part of students’ new routine when attending university.
What do you think of the new measures for Dutch higher education? Tell us in the comments below!
Feature Image: Syda_Productions/Depositphotos
Such irresponsibility!
They cannot even accommodate all students, and expect international students to relocate, risk their health and perhaps get closed off again while in a foreign country.