Makerere university has announced it is reopening for final year students following the relaxation of COVID-19 measures by government, allowing education institutions to resume operations.
Professor Umar Kakumba, the Deputy Vice Chancellor -Academic Affairs made the revelation of the resumption of teaching and learning activities for students of Makerere University during a media briefing on Thursday, October 1, 2020.
A total of 518 students in their final year at the College of Health Sciences are expected to report for school on Saturday October 3, 2020.
He disclosed that 7-8 weeks were remaining for students to complete their second semester for the academic year 2019-2020 by the time the university was indefinitely closed in March arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown.
"The lectures and clinicals for most of our final year students will be starting on Monday [October 5, 2020] and all arrangements have been to ensure that the 518 final year students in the College of Health Sciences resume their studies," says Professor Kakumba.
A semester is 17 weeks. “We had exhausted 10 weeks and so the remaining weeks, basically for completion of coursework, progressive assessment, and final examinations and that is what we are coming back to do," adds Professor Kakumba.
The University has also taken a position according to Dr. Kakumba of allowing the rest of the final year students for other university programmes to resume school on 17th October 2020 physically at the main campus with strict adherence to the Ministry of Health Sstandard operating procedures for COVID-19 and compulsory wearing of masks.
On 1st September 2020, a team from the National Council for Higher Education -NCHE inspected and approved the facilities and tools to aid teaching and learning using the Open Distance and e-Learning (ODEL). This follows a request by the university to the Council to allow the resumption of studies.
This is the system that the university intends to rely on for continuing students including First Year Students since they are not allowed to be physically present, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The National Council for Higher Education was convinced that we have established reasonable facilities and the e-learning system. The Makerere University E-Learning Environment -MUELE has also been updated with material and academic staff are continuing to update the materials on the system. So that will be our major system for providing continuity of teaching and learning for the rest of continuing students who are not expected to come here physically," says Professor Kakumba.
According to a September 22, 2020 circular by Alfred Masikye Naomah, the Academic Registrar the schedule remaining to complete semester II has been restricted to run from October to December 2020.
“All students and staff must strictly adhere to the standard operating procedures put in place by the Ministry of Health to combat the spread of COVID-19 which include among others. Mandatory wearing of a clean mask covering mouth and nose, social distancing and washing of hands with soap and/ or sanitizing hands," says Masikye.
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