The University of Guyana has rescheduled the opening of its campuses – at Turkeyen and Tain – as the administration works to assess the safety of physical classrooms.
The University of Guyana at Turkeyen
The University closed the campuses less than two months ago owing to the novel coronavirus and later employed an online modality on March 11. However, there have been some challenges in providing education during these times.
UG campus at Tain, Berbice
In a statement, UG said it was theorised from the inception that COVID-19 might have a long ‘recovery tail, and there was a 65 per cent chance of the ‘safe mode’ period being extended. For this, plans needed to be put in place to ensure that the final-year students graduate in 2020.
“As the situation unfolds, the University has continued with variable success to employ data-driven rapid adaptation measures to keep its focus and to perform in emergency mode.” The entity says it faced two choices: either to hide for an indefinite period or to figure things out as they forged ahead.
Since the closure, the institution has rolled out an array of emergency policy measures and technological applications to offer the same quality of education.
These include zero-rated data use for any staff or student using a site with a UOG URL, through partnership with telecommunications giant GTT.
It has also created a deployed response email [email protected] interface for processing unusual requests which could not be accommodated by the present software applications for students and
lecturers. This means they could report issues not captured in the questionnaire which needed to be addressed.
Meanwhile, payment of outstanding fees has been deferred in response to requests from students. Faculties began work to reform assessments, final exams, practicum, field trips, labs and internships. This emergency assessment policy, the University stated, is expected to be in place by May 15.
Based on these measures and projections, the institution announced the May 30 reopening. There are also deliberations on the commencement of a new semester, either in October or February next year.
“UG’s Academic Calendar is revised so that end of semester is extended to June-July. A rolling registration will continue to account for CXC decisions about its CSEC and CAPE exams for 2020. It is expected that two possible commencement-of-new-semester dates could be contemplated October 2020 and February 2021 and that a possible choice of online, F2F, or blended could be offered to students in the future.”
Nevertheless, the possibility of graduation for final-year students is still on the table between December 2020 and January 2021.
“Advanced actions have been taken to source resources for the 20-25 per cent of UG staff and students who are capacity and resource challenged to continue their education online. Action Assessment Project “UG Cares” will provide modest material and psychosocial…[support] to
UG staff, students and alumni with philanthropic, student and volunteer resources.”
While the COVID-19 pandemic deepens in Guyana, essential staff has been physically present on campus to ensure security, cleanliness, fumigation and maintenance of labs and centres running sensitive and continuous processes.
UG shared that during the era of online learning, about 25 per cent of the students have had difficulties in responding to this medium of learning. For this, fixes are being made, but will take ‘a few weeks to be sorted’.
“The national University maintains that despite being totally unprepared for this pandemic, and though the challenges are real and stubborn in some cases, they are not insurmountable and UG has not stopped functioning for one single day,” the statement read.
Over the past weeks, students have vented their frustration about the institution’s response in addressing their concerns. They have indicated that while many would have tuned in for classes, the classed is plagued with assignments, instead of discussions and actual teaching sessions from lecturers.
One final-year civil engineering student related that because of the amount of coursework given, many persons were unable to complete them by the given deadline. Some had approached one lecturer for an extension to the submission date, but this was not granted. Instead, the lecturer indicated that they should ask God to help them finish.
