Thousands of students across three B.C. post-secondary schools are calling for a pivot to online learning as classes resume during the pandemic香蕉视频直播檚 fifth wave.
Petitions have been launched by students at Langara College, BCIT and Douglas College, urging the schools to move online to protect students and staff from the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
The BCIT petition has garnered 3,779 signatures so far. In the petition, students call for BCIT to update their COVID safety measures.
香蕉视频直播淲hile teachers are protected by plexiglass and a 6-foot distance, students are crammed into small classrooms with no free seats,香蕉视频直播� the petition states.
Inspired by the BCIT petition, nursing students at Langara launched their own 香蕉视频直播� just over 1,000 students are calling on Langara to offer online classes until the third week of January or later.
The Douglas College petition has reached 1,835 signatures. In it, students detail their concerns about small classroom sizes where physical distancing is impossible.
香蕉视频直播淢any students like myself live with at-risk family and cannot afford to get sick and miss work,香蕉视频直播� student Payal Bansal wrote. 香蕉视频直播淚t is the benefit of everyone that we limit in-person contact until it is safe. For heavily lab-based programs like nursing, having in-person clinicals would be safer with the majority of students who do not need to be in school, be online. Douglas, make the right choice.香蕉视频直播�
Each of the petitions noted that other post-secondary schools like Trinity Western, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, UBC, SFU, UVIC and UNBC have delayed in-person learning or offered a mix of online and in-person classes until late January. The petitioners called on their institutions to do the same.
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On Dec. 21, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry sent a letter to university presidents that 香蕉视频直播渟trongly recommended香蕉视频直播� a return to in-person learning.
香蕉视频直播淏ased on our experience in B.C. and internationally, educational settings are low-risk for COVID-19 transmission. Transmission in educational settings on campus continues to be uncommon,香蕉视频直播� Henry wrote.
香蕉视频直播淲hen a post-secondary student or employee has been diagnosed with COVID-19, the exposure is typically found to be associated with a social setting; they have not generated forward transmission in the classroom or office environment.香蕉视频直播�
The PHO went on to say that the structure of educational settings is more likely to prevent COVID transmission than non-structured environments students would be in while learning from home. They also said that online learning was associated with 香蕉视频直播渟ignificant香蕉视频直播� negative consequences for post-secondary students, who reported poorer and worsening mental health and greater negative economic impacts than other British Columbians.
Henry wrote that strong adherence to vaccination and mask-wearing makes educational settings safer, despite the fact that fully vaccinated people can still become infected and transmit COVID-19.
香蕉视频直播淧ublic health will continue to monitor COVID-19 and remain actively engaged with postsecondary institutions to make new recommendations, if and when they become necessary.香蕉视频直播�
As of Jan. 11, there are 34,551 known active cases of COVID-19 in B.C., though with testing capacity limited, the real number could be four to five times higher. There are 431 people currently in hospital with COVID-19.
cole.schisler@bpdigital.ca
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