Universities to open in phases from 1 June – Minister

In a bid to save the 2020 academic year, South Africa’s Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation Dr Blade Nzimande announced at the weekend that tertiary institutions would gradually be reopened from 1 June.

As South Africa prepares to move from ‘level four’ to ‘level three’ lockdown on 1 June, following an announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa, Nzimande said that from 1 June, a maximum of 33% of post-school students may go back to campus.

Final-year students as well as postgraduate students needing laboratories, technology and data and all students who require clinical training as part of their programme will be prioritised if these platforms have the space to accommodate them safely – while other students will gradually return according to the various levels of lockdown.

Students identified to reintegrate into campuses may include groups living with disabilities, those not able to access the internet at home or who are living in circumstances where studying is difficult.

The move to level three could mean, for some students at least, that their academic year – comprising 27 weeks of contact learning – might be completed without spilling over into next year.

Safety

The phased and risk-based reopening will take place in stages to align with the levels of the COVID-19 lockdown and students may only return on condition they can be safely accommodated.

“Any college or university that is not ready to reopen will stay closed. This is about safety,” Nzimande said.

Dr Ramneek Ahluwalia, CEO of Higher Health, the national agency geared towards promoting the health of South African students, announced there would be stringent screening on all campuses, including self-screening, and each institution would require a COVID-19 task team with an implementation team.

Nzimande said students who will be returning to campus after spending lockdown in other parts of South Africa will be issued with permits to enable them to travel and be given three weeks to return to campus. If any provinces or districts have their lockdown level scaled upwards, students who have returned will be sent home again.

Institutional plans

University teaching, learning, assessment and campus readiness plans had been submitted to the Higher Education Department, along with detailed costings of the additional funding needed to implement them.

“The department is currently reviewing the plans in order to urgently finalise the reprioritisation of earmarked funding to support the implementation of the teaching and learning plans by 1 June,” Nzimande said.

He said all public universities have developed detailed strategies for remote multi-modal teaching and learning during the current lockdown, for implementation from the beginning of June as per previous commitments.

Gradual reopening

This is how universities will gradually reopen:

Under ‘level four’, the department allowed for a controlled return of final-year students in programmes requiring clinical training, starting with medicine and the phasing in of all other programmes such as nursing, dental and veterinary sciences.

Under ‘level three’, a maximum of 33% of the student population will be allowed to return to campuses, delivery sites and residences on condition they can be safely accommodated and supported in line with the health and safety protocols as directed by the department.

This includes:

• All groups that have already returned during level four;

• Students in the final year of their programmes, who are on a path to graduating in 2020;

• Final-year students who require access to laboratories, technical equipment, data, connectivity and access to residence and private accommodation should return;

• Students in all years of study that require clinical training in their programmes (space and safety provisions permitting);

• Postgraduate students who require laboratory equipment and other technical equipment.

Nzimande said in addition to these, institutions may also consider a selected return of students “who may face extreme difficulties in their home learning environments provided that the above categories are prioritised and all safety and logistical requirements are met”.

In terms of level three, the institutions will recall students, in line with the criteria, to start their contact tuition two to three weeks after the announcement, depending on readiness and capacity of each institution.

Under ‘level two’, a maximum of 66% of the student population can return to campus along with all groups that have already returned; students in all years who require technical equipment and who require practical placements, experiential learning or workplace-based learning to complete the academic year and first year students in all undergraduate programmes.

Under ‘level one’, it is expected that 100% of the student population should return to campus. “We are therefore going to require the strictest enforcement of physical distancing and health protocols,” Nzimande stressed.

Nzimande said a tentative calendar has been drawn up for the country’s technical and vocational education and training institutions.