https://www.reddit.com/r/LockdownSkepticism/comments/13r97jx/uk_students_seek_compensation_for_covidaffected/
Universities
UK students seek compensation for Covid-affected tuition
Nearly 1,000 students attempt group action against UCL, accusing it of >breaking promises
Sally Weale Education correspondent
Wed 24 May 2023 17.29 EDT
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Lawyers representing almost 1,000 current and former students whose
studies were affected by Covid and strike action told the high court in >London their clients felt cheated by their educational experience and >should be entitled to seek compensation through the courts.
They are seeking to bring a claim against University College London
(UCL), accusing it of breaking its promises after tuition was moved
online and access to libraries and laboratories restricted during the >pandemic, with no discount to their eye-watering tuition fees.
In a case which will be closely watched by other universities, UCL is
arguing against students attempts to bring a group action through the >courts, saying they should pursue their claims through the universitys >internal complaints procedure.
If they are not satisfied, UCL says they can then take their complaint
to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator, an independent body set up
to review student complaints about higher education providers in England
and Wales.
At a preliminary hearing on Wednesday before Judge Barbara Fontaine,
Anna Boase KC, representing the students, told the court they entered
into a bargain with UCL for which they paid handsomely 9,25o a year
in tuition fees and considerably more for international students.
They didnt get what they bargained for and they seek justice, she said.
In written arguments to the court, Boase said: These consumers, many of
whom are young people, have had enough. Their contract with UCL was, for >many, the first substantial contract of their lives and, justifiably,
they feel cheated out of their bargain.
The claimants case is that, on all versions of the student contract,
UCL owed a duty to provide in-person tuition and physical access to >facilities.
She said UCLs contractual performance fell short of that promised yet
it had not offered students fee discounts in recognition of its short >performance during the pandemic.
The court was told that 924 students have issued claims against UCL,
with 2,147 more wishing to have their cases added to the legal action.
Law firms Harcus Parker and Asserson claim more than 100,000 students
have signed up to a student group claim on a no-win, no-fee basis, >potentially seeking compensation from 100 UK universities.
John Taylor KC, for UCL, said in written arguments that the alternative >complaints procedures were fair, transparent and accessible, and could
save time and money. He also said the claims against the university
needed more detail and had been formulated at an inappropriately high
level of abstraction given the disparity of contractual terms, the >thousands of programmes and modules, years of study, different strike
dates and different effects of Covid-19.
Daniel Amery, a UCL law student, was among those attending court on >Wednesday. He said his first two years at university had been severely >affected by Covid, with classes on Zoom and limited access to the
university campus. This is arguably one of the biggest investments I
will ever make. I feel Ive been cheated, he said.
UCL issued a statement in which Prof Kathleen Armour, vice-president >(Education & Student Experience) said the university had followed UK >government guidance during the pandemic, and had provided a high
quality academic experience to students and minimised the impact of >industrial action by university staff.
We respect the right of our students to complain and seek redress if
they feel that they have not received the support they expected from us.
That is why we have a well-established and free complaints procedure.
We believe the group litigation order is unnecessary and premature as
our easily accessible process is the most efficient and swiftest way for
our students to resolve any issues with us.
The hearing concluded on Wednesday, and a written ruling will be handed
down at a future date.
Michael Ejercito wrote:
https://www.reddit.com/r/LockdownSkepticism/comments/13r97jx/uk_students_seek_compensation_for_covidaffected/
Universities
UK students seek compensation for Covid-affected tuition
Nearly 1,000 students attempt group action against UCL, accusing it of
breaking promises
Sally Weale Education correspondent
Wed 24 May 2023 17.29 EDT
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare via Email
Lawyers representing almost 1,000 current and former students whose
studies were affected by Covid and strike action told the high court in
London their clients felt “cheated” by their educational experience and >> should be entitled to seek compensation through the courts.
They are seeking to bring a claim against University College London
(UCL), accusing it of breaking its “promises” after tuition was moved
online and access to libraries and laboratories restricted during the
pandemic, with no discount to their “eye-watering” tuition fees.
In a case which will be closely watched by other universities, UCL is
arguing against students’ attempts to bring a group action through the
courts, saying they should pursue their claims through the university’s
internal complaints procedure.
If they are not satisfied, UCL says they can then take their complaint
to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator, an independent body set up
to review student complaints about higher education providers in England
and Wales.
At a preliminary hearing on Wednesday before Judge Barbara Fontaine,
Anna Boase KC, representing the students, told the court they entered
into a bargain with UCL for which they paid handsomely – £9,25o a year
in tuition fees and considerably more for international students.
“They didn’t get what they bargained for and they seek justice,” she said.
In written arguments to the court, Boase said: “These consumers, many of >> whom are young people, have had enough. Their contract with UCL was, for
many, the first substantial contract of their lives and, justifiably,
they feel cheated out of their bargain.
“The claimants’ case is that, on all versions of the student contract, >> UCL owed a duty to provide in-person tuition and physical access to
facilities.”
She said UCL’s “contractual performance fell short of that promised” yet
it had not offered students fee discounts “in recognition of its short
performance” during the pandemic.
The court was told that 924 students have issued claims against UCL,
with 2,147 more wishing to have their cases added to the legal action.
Law firms Harcus Parker and Asserson claim more than 100,000 students
have signed up to a student group claim on a no-win, no-fee basis,
potentially seeking compensation from 100 UK universities.
John Taylor KC, for UCL, said in written arguments that the alternative
complaints procedures were “fair, transparent and accessible”, and could >> save time and money. He also said the claims against the university
needed more detail and had been “formulated at an inappropriately high
level of abstraction” given “the disparity of contractual terms, the
thousands of programmes and modules, years of study, different strike
dates and different effects of Covid-19”.
Daniel Amery, a UCL law student, was among those attending court on
Wednesday. He said his first two years at university had been severely
affected by Covid, with classes on Zoom and limited access to the
university campus. “This is arguably one of the biggest investments I
will ever make. I feel I’ve been cheated,” he said.
UCL issued a statement in which Prof Kathleen Armour, vice-president
(Education & Student Experience) said the university had followed UK
government guidance during the pandemic, and had provided a “high
quality academic experience to students” and minimised the impact of
industrial action by university staff.
“We respect the right of our students to complain and seek redress if
they feel that they have not received the support they expected from us.
That is why we have a well-established and free complaints procedure.
“We believe the group litigation order is unnecessary and premature as
our easily accessible process is the most efficient and swiftest way for
our students to resolve any issues with us.”
The hearing concluded on Wednesday, and a written ruling will be handed
down at a future date.
In the interim, we are 100% prepared/protected in the "full armor of
GOD" (Ephesians 6:11) which we put on as soon as we use
Apostle Paul's secret (http://bit.ly/Philippians4_12 ). Though masking
is less protective, it helps us avoid the appearance of doing the evil
of spreading airborne pathogens while there are people getting sick
because of not being 100% protected. It is written that we're to
"abstain from **all** appearance of doing evil" (1 Thessalonians 5:22 w/**emphasis**).
Source:
https://biblehub.com/1_thessalonians/5-22.htm
Meanwhile, the only *perfect* (Matt 5:47-8) way to eradicate the
COVID-19 virus, thereby saving lives, in the UK & elsewhere is by
rapidly ( http://bit.ly/RapidTestCOVID-19 ) finding out at any given
moment, including even while on-line, who among us are unwittingly
contagious (i.e pre-symptomatic or asymptomatic) in order to http://WDJW.great-site.net/ConvinceItForward (John 15:12) for them to
call their doctor and self-quarantine per their doctor in hopes of
stopping this pandemic. Thus, we're hoping for the best while
preparing for the worse-case scenario of the Alpha lineage mutations
and others like the Omicron, Gamma, Beta, Epsilon, Iota, Lambda, Mu &
Delta lineage mutations combining via slip-RNA-replication to form
hybrids like http://tinyurl.com/Deltamicron that may render current
COVID vaccines/monoclonals/medicines/pills no longer effective.
Indeed, I am wonderfully hungry ( http://tinyurl.com/RapidOmicronTest
) and hope you, Michael, also have a healthy appetite too.
So how are you ?
https://www.reddit.com/r/LockdownSkepticism/comments/13r97jx/uk_students_seek_compensation_for_covidaffected/
Universities
UK students seek compensation for Covid-affected tuition
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