The ManicaPost
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke Senior Reporter
MANICALAND State University of Applied Sciences (MSUAS) has opened its doors to 64 final year engineering students, while Africa University has already completed holding online examinations for the first semester as tertiary institutions across the country start reopening.
Government gave universities the green light to reopen on June 1.
MSUAS senior information and public relations officer, Mr Credence Sithole said lectures for Level 5.1 and 5.2 Engineering students commenced on June 1.
“We are expecting to have our examinations from June 28 to July 3. We are carrying over from where we left before the Covid-19 national lockdown. Hopefully by then, we would have met all requirements to proceed with the examinations,” he said.
He said the university is implementing a two-pronged strategy to ensure students and staff members’ safety.
The institution has set up hand washing points and is also providing hand sanitisers at classroom entrances.
They are also conducting mandatory temperature checks.
“We are using the biggest venues we have so that the students are as widely spread as possible. This is the only batch of final year students we have. The next batch is on work-related learning and will not be back for lessons until next year,” he said.
Mr Sithole said the institution had tasked its Health Services Department to ensure that there is adequate sensitisation on Covid-19 among the students.
Students were also encouraged to bring washable face masks, although the university is also producing some.
On the other hand, Africa University has been conducting online lessons for all its students. Examinations were also written online.
This makes the institution the first to hold exams during this period.
AU advancement and public affairs director, Mr Stephene Chikozho said the institution is now preparing for the second semester, which starts in August.
“We continued with lessons via online platforms and our students wrote their examinations online, we are now on vacation. Marking is in progress as we prepare for the next semester. However, we will first assess the situation for us to come up with a strategy to roll out the second semester lectures,” he said.
AU is an international university with more than 250 foreign students. This, according to Mr Chikozho, will have a bearing on how the second semester will be run.
“We will check the progress that would have been made in terms of Covid-19 in the countries where our students come from. That progress will determine the mode we will take. We might continue with online classes or have some students coming back on campus, while some continue learning online or have all students back on campus. The situation across the continent will determine which model we will adopt,” said Mr Chikozho.
Since the commencement of the lockdown in March, the institution has had a group of international students staying on campus.
Mr Chikozho said 46 of these students have completed their programmes and the university is making arrangements for them to return to their countries of origin while awaiting graduation.
Manicaland has been using Mutare Polytechnic, Marymount and Mutare Teachers’ Colleges as quarantine facilities for Zimbabweans returning from various countries.
With colleges preparing to reopen, Government has declared that they may no longer be used as quarantine centres.
Acting Manicaland Provincial Development Coordinator, Mr Edgars Seenza said colleges are being cleared, with the provinces mapping a way forward to establish new quarantine centres.
“Most of the returnees who were housed in colleges have moved out. Only two returnees are left at Marymount Teachers’ College, while Mutare Teachers’ College and Mutare Poly are now empty,” he said.
The colleges are yet to open their doors to students.
