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The University of Cape Town.
Jacques Stander, Gallo Images
- Very few South African universities will complete the 2020 academic year before the end of the current calendar year.
- Currently, 16 universities are expected to complete the 2020 academic year between January and March 2021.
- The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Blade Nzimande, has said that the completion of the academic year is key to the country’s economic recovery plan.
Only 10 of the 26 universities in South Africa aim to complete the academic year before the end of the 2020 calendar year.
Four of the 26 universities are expected to finish the second semester in January 2021, seven the following month, and the remaining five are expected to complete the academic year in March.
This came when Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande and his senior officials had a virtual meeting with the Higher Education Portfolio Committee on Friday.
“As we face the end of the year, we have to consider the role of education and post-school training in our economic recovery. We are not only saving the 2020 academic year, by itself, we are saving it for our economy. because these are our future skills, “said Nzimande.
READ | Covid-19: Higher Education Academic Year Will Probably End In March 2021, Says Nzimande
Diane Parker, deputy director general for college education, said some universities lost time at the beginning of the 2020 academic year, before the country was locked in.
“Universities that had already developed the capacity for online teaching and learning were able to transition to an online modality more quickly. Universities have extended the teaching and learning time to more effectively support students who were unable to participate. fully during the lockdown, “he said.
The 10 universities that are expected to complete the academic year in 2020 include the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, the University of Cape Town, the University of the Free State and the University of Johannesburg.
Durban University of Technology, Northwest University, Rhodes University and Mpumalanga University are among those planning to end the second semester in January 2021.
Universities planning to finish in February include, but are not limited to, the Central University of Technology, Mangosuthu University of Technology in Durban, Nelson Mandela University and the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Parker also said that students who were unable to access remote teaching and learning effectively were prioritized to return to campus.
Parker added:
In September, universities reported that of students who indicated the need for a laptop, 68% were served.
“Some universities have indicated that there are devices available, but students are not taking [them] up. Universities where device availability is low are currently participating in the process led by NSFAS, “he said.
READ ALSO | Nzimande appoints task force to investigate NSFAS, calls for investigation into rectors’ salaries
He also said that about 94% of the students were receiving mobile data.
The president of the South African Union of Students, Misheck Mugabe, said that Covid-19 had ingrained the academic and financial exclusion of students.
“Some of the students voluntarily dropped out during the shutdown. The academic year is very compromised and our grades are threatened,” he said.
He added that the challenges posed by blocking Covid-19 included closing the cyber cafe, making it difficult to submit tasks.
Universities South Africa Executive Director Ahmed Bawa said there was a rapid shift towards remote teaching and learning to complete the academic year.
“The ICT infrastructure at the 26 universities is designed for on-campus learning and not for remote learning. That was a very serious wake-up call that required a significant change in our infrastructure in a very short period of time. We also had to try understand how to maintain research and innovation activities, ”he said.
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