Kyambogo also cancels reopening

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kyambogo University has cancelled a plan to open to all students. They will instead maintain online learning following a directive from the Ministry of Education for decision on full re-opening to be considered three months from now.

The university had asked students to report on February 1st, 2021 to complete their 2nd semester and semester 1 and 2 studies for the 2020/2021 academic year.

The university resumed for semester two with the Open Distance and E-learning-ODel on January 18th and was supposed to end on January 30th.

The students were expected to report for face to face lectures on Feb 1st to Feb 14th, 2021 and sit their final exams from Feb 15th to 28th.

However, in his communication to students, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Elli Katunguka Rwakishaya, says that as one of the Higher Education Institutions, Kyambogo University will adhere to the President’s directive and wait for further guidance.

“The purpose of this letter, therefore, is to relay the position of the government on the re-opening of the universities and to encourage students and academic staff to continue utilizing online learning using the ODel system as we await government guidance,” the letter reads in part.

The President guided that all Higher Education Institutions should continue studying online using the ODel system for at least another three months to enable the government to find a lasting solution. Institutions of higher learning adopted the system in 2020 when they partially reopened to final year students following their closure in March because of the Coronavirus outbreak.

On January 21st, the Executive Director National Council for Higher Education-NCHE, Professor Mary Okwakol, directed institutions not to reopen for non-finalist classes until a decision from the government on the matter is communicated.

Six days later, she wrote to Vice-Chancellors and Principals noting that they had received communication from Janet Museveni, the Education and Sports minister, advising that they continue studies online without physical meeting as they (government) establish a solution to COVID-19.

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