COVID-19: UCU set for virtual exams

Uganda Christian University (UCU) has unveiled a plan to roll out virtual exams, the move which was last time blocked by the Parliament and President Yoweri Museveni as the lockdown had just been declared forcing the immediate closure of the education institutions.

The deputy vice-chancellor in charge of academics, Dr John Kitayimbwa, said before the lockdown they were left with only two weeks to start their examinations. The ‘take-home' exams will be rolled out starting September 15, which will be online as well.

HELP TO BE PROVIDED

Kitayimbwa, however, said for the students who may not access online information, they will be helped to access the exams package using the available public transport means so long as they communicate in time.

This plan was disclosed in the first press conference convened by the new vice-chancellor, Assoc. Prof. Aaron Mushengyezi, held at the main campus in Mukono municipality, last week.

The first time UCU attempted to carry out the virtual exams, several Members of Parliament said it was not a good move given that there are several parts of the country without power or internet connectivity. President Yoweri Museveni in one of his COVID-19 presidential updates also warned UCU not to try out this kind of arrangement.

However, this time around, the Government through the National Council for Higher Education has approved a number of universities to start online education.

"Fortunately, the statistics we have shown that 90% of our students have laptops and 5% have desktop computers. We are sure that 95% of the students have the capacity to learn online. "The National Information Technology Authority Uganda (NITA-U) has also shown that 86% of Ugandans have access to smartphones of at least the 3G type.

We have, therefore, partnered with MTN Uganda to ensure that our websites for the learning materials can be accessed by our students, even when one has no data," Kitayimbwa said.

Mushengyezi said they have set October 15 as the date for the official opening of online studies. He said NCHE inspected and approved the university's infrastructure for online lessons.

FIT FOR THE CHALLENGE

"We are happy to report that after making a thorough investigation, the Government has found our state-of-the-art technology fit for the online challenge," Mushengyezi said.

On March 20, President Yoweri Museveni ordered the closure of all educational institutions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Kitayimbwa said come October 15, all first-year students will start their studies together with the continuing students. The deputy vice-chancellor in charge of finance and administration, David Mugawe, said parents should not be worried about tuition fees.

Mugawe said unlike the normal setting of lessons where students would be on the campus, this time the tuition fees are going to be less.

"I assure parents that though the tuition may not drastically go down as we open up for e-learning, following the fact that we are buying and installing some other equipment for better services, as time goes on, it will be the most desirable and affordable kind of learning," he said.