Major student protest planned over Edinburgh University marking boycott response

The demonstration is being organised amid growing anger over the failure to resolve industrial action

Hundreds of Edinburgh University students are expected to gather on campus next week to protest against the impact of the marking boycott.

Organisers have encouraged fellow students to come to the demonstration at 12.30pm on Tuesday at Bristo Square.

Students across Scotland have been wearing sashes and placards at graduation ceremonies to show their frustration at being unable to obtain degrees in the usual way.

Edinburgh University, which will be the centre of the protest. Picture: Lisa Ferguson

The marking and assessment boycott was launched by the University and College Union at institutions across the UK in April amid a row over staff pay and conditions. It has meant many students are graduating without a classification, with much of their work from the last term left unmarked.

Francesca Lehrell is a psychology and sociology student who is among those receiving a “deferred degree”.

She said: "I’m personally pretty angry. We’ve had a pretty difficult time with Covid and it sort of feels like a slap in the face, like none of it was really worth anything. There’s a lot of anger and frustration.”

Ms Lehrell urged her fellow students to join the protest.

“We’re hoping to get as many people as possible there,” she said. “We’re planning to have that in-between graduation ceremonies, because there is one at 11am and one at 3pm. It will be at Bristo Square and it will be the usual kind of protest with signs and chants and things like that.

"We’ve got a page for organising everything and there is about 500-odd people on there, so we’re hoping it will be quite a lot of people.”

Hundreds of academics based at Edinburgh University warned in May that management was showing a “cavalier” disregard for students, staff and standards at the ancient institution over its response to the industrial action.

Students have also heavily criticised the handling of the boycott, with some saying they had been left “demoralised” and put off careers in education.

Earlier this week, The Scotsman reported the case of Canadian exchange student Emma MacKenzie, who is having to abandon plans to stay in Scotland because the industrial action means she is unable to graduate from her home university in Toronto, and apply for a visa.

A spokesperson for Edinburgh University has said: “We recognise the significant impact this is having on our students’ lives and future plans and we share their disappointment at being caught in the crossfire of this national dispute.

"We are committed to academic standards and this is reflected in the careful work we have been doing to try to mitigate the impact of the marking and assessment boycott and provide students with their degrees as a culmination of all their hard work.

"It is this commitment that, unfortunately, is leading to the delays in outcomes experienced by some students.

"Our priority is to ensure that any outstanding assessments are marked in a timely manner, so that we can provide a full and final degree classification for all students who have completed their programme this year.

"In the meantime, affected students can request a letter of completion of studies, which can be provided to employers or other institutions to clarify what marks they have received so far and the courses for which marks are still pending.”