51³Ô¹Ï

Campaigners have welcomed UK government plans that would allow 40 Gazan students to take up their fully funded university places, but have called for ¡°clear and robust¡± guidance to clarify who is eligible for the scheme.

After weeks of pressure from MPs and campaigners, the 51³Ô¹Ï Office is understood to have agreed for students with full scholarships to undergo the biometric checks needed for a visa application in a third country ¨C expected to be either Jordan or Egypt ¨C before travelling on to the UK.

The government last week announced that it will evacuate nine students on the government-funded Chevening scheme, while the latest efforts will support an additional 30 students who have been unable to submit the biometric data?owing?to the relevant office being closed in Gaza since the 7 October Hamas attacks on Israel.

Students have previously told?51³Ô¹Ï?that they are unable to defer their offers?because of scholarship restrictions, describing the prospect of missing out on their education as?¡°deeply worrying and heartbreaking¡±.

According to , a 51³Ô¹Ï Office source said: ¡°This remains a complex and challenging task, but the home secretary has made it crystal clear to her officials that she wants no stone unturned in efforts to ensure there are arrangements in place to allow this cohort of talented students to take up their places at UK universities as soon as possible.¡±

The students will still have to be granted permission to leave Gaza by the Israeli government, and logistical difficulties are expected in evacuating them out safely.

Around 40 students who have received offers, but no funding, are still unable to take up their offers at UK universities.?

Nora Parr, a research fellow at the University of Birmingham who is supporting students in Gaza, told?51³Ô¹Ï?that many were still unclear over their fate, despite the government plans.

¡°This is very welcome news, however, nothing has been communicated directly to students. We do not know who is included and by what criteria the government is making its decisions. The students would of course also welcome direct communication,¡± she said.

¡°We hope that the government can issue clear and robust guidance for students so they know who is eligible and what they need to demonstrate this eligibility. Student courses start in less than two weeks, while others are set to begin in early October. We need to make sure that everyone ready to welcome students has time to adequately prepare for their arrival.¡±

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com