MALAWI: Catholic University Heads-up on Getting Back to Classes Amid Covid-19
Luke Bisani
The Catholic University of Malawi Management this week, held a meeting to discuss schools’ reopening amid the novel Coronavirus that has hit the world, following a recommendation by Government’s Task Force under the Ministry of Education, Science Technology in the country that schools be opened on 13th July 2020.
Management of the University has then outlined measures to be undertaken while students are on campus amid the Covid-19 concerns that forced them to send students home as a way of preventing the spread of the Virus.
Through the University’s Covid-19 Response Task Force, management is considering ways to maintain social distance at Campus and to enforce regular check-up of body temperature of students and Staff each day before commencement of classes.
The chairperson of the University’s Covid-19 Response Task Force, Susan Sundu, disclosed that the institute is to ensure cleanliness and disinfection of classes each day. Furthermore, management has considered establishing class committees that are to oversee that measures of preventing Covid-19 are adhered to among the students.
The University has also planned to have an Isolation facility to be used by students with signs and symptoms of Covid-19 while on campus. The students are also to have psychological counselling as a way of preventing stigma among students.
The University’s Vice-Chancellor Rev. Dr. George Buleya commended the Staff for getting on board with e-learning to fill the teaching gap when the University had to be closed.
He described the e-learning experience as a milestone achievement by the University as it has helped students to learn from home during the crisis of COVID-19.
In March this year, the President of the Republic of Malawi Prof. Peter Mutharika ordered closure of all schools as a way of preventing the spread of Covid-19. However, stakeholders have been calling for schools’ reopening, arguing that the country is at risk of productivity loss due to prolonged closure.
