Coronavirus: Universities' concern over 2m rule in Wales

Two-metre social distancing would put Welsh universities in an "extremely difficult position" trying to attract new students, a committee has heard.

Swansea University vice-chancellor Prof Paul Boyle said it would be harder to recruit if institutions across the border have closer to a 1m rule.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced earlier a "one-metre plus" rule would be introduced in England from 4 July.

The health minister said Wales would continue to take a cautious approach.

Speaking at the daily Welsh Government press conference, Vaughan Gething said ministers "haven't seen the evidence that underpins any potential changes" to 2m rule.

But he added: "If there is evidence that underpins any change then we will, of course, consider that and consider what that means for Wales."

By January this year, 18,430 people in Wales had applied for a university place before coronavirus reached the UK.

But the University and College Union (UCU) has said the pandemic could mean 13,000 fewer freshers at Wales' universities than had been expected in 2020-21.

Prof Boyle told the Children, Young People and Education Committee: "We will abide by whatever regulations and rules the Welsh Government feel are appropriate and we will support them wholeheartedly.

"I just want to point out that were there a difference, for students contemplating university, that difference could make a very significant difference to their choice."

Aberystwyth University's vice-chancellor Prof Elizabeth Treasure also backed calls to reduce the social distancing rule.

She said the current 2m regulations makes teaching "extremely challenging" and added the "closer to 1m we are, the more in-person delivery we will have".

She added that universities were facing "a very major crisis", which required "short-term action".

The Higher Education Funding Council for Wales estimates Welsh universities could lose £200m-£400m in income in the next academic year.

It said institutions could have to start redundancy processes in "early summer" if no additional funding is available from the Welsh and UK governments.

Universities are expecting a significant drop in tuition fee income from September, especially from international students.

Prof Boyle said the issues around international students were "very, very serious" with many institutions expecting a reduction of 50-70%, and there were practical issues beyond institutions' control including a backlog in visas, and the lack of flights.

He pointed to some Australian universities who were chartering flights from China and Singapore and questioned "whether we might need to charter flights to bring students into Wales".

A Welsh Government spokesman said: "As recognised by the sector across the UK, the scale of the financial support required to maintain stability goes beyond what is available within devolved government budgets, and we remain committed to working with all governments of the UK and HM Treasury on a future settlement."

A UK Department for Education spokesman added: "We are committed to supporting the UK's world-class universities and their students through this challenging time."