DOUBT has been expressed over whether students will comply with the planned staggered return to universities after the festive holidays.

A warning has also been given that campuses face a fresh outbreak of coronavirus because the planned return does not reflect the variation in university term dates.

Education Secretary John Swinney announced last week that the students’ return would be staggered over six weeks beginning on January 4.

“With some limited exceptions, undergraduate students will restart their studies at home at the normal beginning of term and should only return to campus and their term-time accommodation when asked to do so by their university,” he said.

However the University and College Union (UCU) said it was “nonsensical” that the guidance had all universities following the same timetable.

“Universities across the country have different start dates for semester two and the six week timetable should only begin for each institution when their term starts rather than there being an arbitrary date of January 4 for all,” said a spokesperson.

Phoebe Reilly, a 22-year-old a post graduate law student at the University of Glasgow, said there was doubt over whether students would adhere to the guidance in any case.

“We’ve been asked not to return until after January 25 but my flatmates don’t think people will adhere to that at all,” she said. “One is from Ireland and she works over here so she can’t stay away too long.”

REILLY, who graduated in politics and philosophy from Glasgow University earlier this year, moved back to the city from her family home in Perth after the summer to begin her law course but said it felt like a “bit of a waste” because everything was online.

“It’s really expensive living in the West End and jobs are few and far between with everything that is going on so it is a bit frustrating,” she said.

Euan Ringland, a third year criminology student at Stirling University, said he had not yet been given a return date but wasn’t sure if he would return while teaching was still online.

The 22-year-old from Berwick-upon-Tweed said he had been on campus only a few times since he returned to his Stirling flat in August.

“We were told it would be a mix of in-person and online lecturing but that has not been the case,” he said. “Everything has been online and all lectures are pre-recorded so there is no interaction with lecturers although you can email them. I’m expecting our return date will be early January but I’m not sure I will go back if it is going to be like this year. I probably won’t go back at first.”

Dental hygiene student Robyn Harvey said her return date on January 4 to the University of Dundee remained unchanged.

The 18-year-old from the Scottish Borders began her first year at the university on October 5.

“The start date was pushed back because of Covid and because we started later we are having to start earlier next semester – we start seeing patients at the end of January,” she said. “My flatmates are due back two weeks after me.”

“I have been quite lucky because we have been in clinic so we’ve not been stripped of too much apart from our social life.”

Students have also been asked to restrict their social interaction for a fortnight before they return to university and a fortnight following their return.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The six-week staggered return is based on clinical advice and the uncertainty of virus levelsin January, and is intended to considerably reduce the numbers of students returning to university in any one week.”