Dozens of Bermudian students at Dalhousie University could miss more than a week of classes because of a faculty walkout by teaching staff.

Nearly 13,000 students at the Canadian university, including up to 100 Bermudians, are facing a potentially longer school year and added expenses as a result of striking teachers who are seeking higher salaries and better job security.

Staff walked out on Monday and are refusing to teach for the remainder of the week unless an agreement can be reached.

And they are prepared to extend the industrial action for a longer period if their demands are not met.

Bermudian Khamla Smith, who is studying nursing at the college, said students had experienced a significant amount of frustration over the strike. She added there could be possible legal action from students because of lost class time.

“We were informed about a possible strike in January,” she said. “Basically they were trying to do it around the time where they could do the most damage, because this is a really busy time.

“The student union is concerned about what we are missing. If this strike continues, they will either have to cut out some of the curriculum or turn this into a longer school year.”

Ms Smith said she and her family are concerned because there are added expenses such as housing and air travel that may have to be covered.

It is understood that staff are rallying to seek salaries comparable to other universities. However, Dalhousie president Tom Traves, said there was a shortage of money at the university.

Another Bermudian student, Eric DeSilva who is also studying at Dalhousie, said the school gave specific instructions for students to work under their own guidance until the strike reached an end.

“They told us the smartest thing we could do now is to continue our studies,” he wrote. “If we had readings to do or papers due, we should complete them as if classes were still occurring.”

It is expected that when a resolution is hashed out, it will ultimately come at the expense of students in terms of tuition - which is projected to rise 24 percent in the next two years.

Yet Ms Smith said she and others were moving forward with their studies as if the strike was not going on and said she was optimistic that all will be resolved soon, with the minimum amount of expense to the students.

“They are trying to keep the students up to date,” she said. “They are providing extra activities for us and my dad is telling me to keep my head in the books. I really have too much work to slack off, but we are hoping it ends soon.”