The Municipal Advisory Board for Barcelona Universities calls for on-site sessions to resume as soon as possible

26/01/2021 - 16:23

Education. As a community, the body expresses its concern over the difficulties and consequences posed by the reduction in on-site activity at university campuses owing to the pandemic,

The Municipal Advisory Board for Barcelona Universities (CAMU), as a participatory body for the city’s university community, calls for on-site sessions to resume as soon as possible.

While understanding the need to give priority to public health criteria, the CAMU underlines the negative effects generated overall in the education and socialisation of university students enrolled on courses taught in person.

In its communique, this participatory body for the sector considers that “the huge efforts universities have made, and continue to make, to keep classrooms safe is undeniable, as is the work of administrative and teaching staff to maintain activity and educational spaces using digital tools”.

Because of this, the responsible health authorities are urged by the board to take into account the effects of students not attending in person and for on-site teaching to resume as soon as the health conditions allow, with priority given to the new student intake, who have not yet been able to enjoy the normal university experience.

The CAMU is organised through the Full Council and made up of the chair (corresponding to the Mayor, Ada Colau), two vice-chairs, representatives from all municipal groups, representatives from public private universities and six experts from professional, academic and scientific spheres. The board also has a representative for the main student unions (AEP, AJEC and SEPC), trade unions (CCOO and UGT), social and community organisations and entities from the manufacturing sector, as well as the Secretariat for Universities and Research and the Inter-University Board of Catalonia.