To ensure that academic activities continue, schools have come up with an initiative to continue with academic activities online to ensure that teaching and learning continue remotely.
Tertiary institutions are looking to follow in the steps of the University of South Africa in terms of offering learning programmes online to ensure that students are not left behind.
We saw the University of Johannesburg, Wits University as well as the University of Cape Town be the first to shutdown academic activities following the president’s announcement to shutdown schools until further notice.
Elijah Moholola, the University of Cape Town (UCT) spokesperson, said they looking to develop a different approach to teaching and learning to keep up with the academic year.
Taking that there are those students who may not afford or have access to data, this also aims to take that into account. Online teaching would have low-tech options so that students with low bandwidth connections could participate fully.
“Arrangements are being made by UCT, Universities SA and service providers for zero-rated mobile data to specific UCT online resources, so that students do not have to carry the costs of remote learning,” Moholola said.
Other universities looking to implement these measures have said:
University of Western Cape spokesperson Gasant Abarder said the university had a well-established institutional learning management system, which enabled students to continue studying remotely.
- University of Western Cape spokesperson Gasant Abarder said “the university had a well-established institutional learning management system, which enabled students to continue studying remotely.”
- University of Pretoria (UP) vice-chancellor and principal Professor Tawana Kupe said UP had activated its learning continuity plan through the online teaching and learning channels.
Other: Third case confirmed at UCT
The University of Cape Town has reported its third case of the coronavirus.
“In all three instances, the provincial Department of Health confirmed the cases through the prescribed protocol. The three colleagues involved are in quarantine.
“The Department of Health has also immediately begun contact tracing in the respective cases and those identified as close contacts have been informed and asked to quarantine themselves for two weeks,” Phakeng added.
