Campuses to get back to full capacity
• While classes can resume at 100% capacity, residences are limited to 50% as per state rules
SA’s universities, which were reduced mostly to online learning during the earlier phases of the national lockdown, will now return to full capacity and complete the current academic year by early 2021, higher education minister Blade Nzimande said on Wednesday.
SA’s universities, which were reduced mostly to online learning during the earlier phases of the national lockdown, will now return to full capacity and complete the current academic year by early 2021, higher education minister Blade Nzimande said on Wednesday.
This effectively means oneon-one lectures can now resume at full capacity. But accommodation in residences on campus will be restricted to 50% capacity as per government regulations. The department did not clarify how this will be managed, only saying the return to residences will be done in a phased approach.
The closure of public and private tertiary institutions across SA as the government moved to curb the spread of Covid-19 left universities and colleges reeling, disrupting a large chunk of the academic year.
There are also fears the lockdown measures could disrupt the 2021 academic year and the intake of first-year students.
But Nzimande said he was optimistic that the academic year will be salvaged and the 2021 intake would still proceed, though delayed.
“All universities are implementing their plans to return all students and staff from October 1, subject to any restrictions linked to their own risk assessment due to their local context and conditions,” Nzimande said.
In terms of accommodation, Nzimande said institutions will now be able to move to 50% occupancy of rooms up to a maximum of 250 people indoors at a time, with ventilation of rooms remaining critical.
He said the sector will also allow the hosting of outside gatherings of up to 500 people at a time. This includes graduations and conferences.
Nzimande said international students returning to SA universities from outside the country will need to meet the safety requirements set by the government. They need to have a Covid-19 negative test certificate that is not older than 72 hours on arrival in SA.
If not, they will need to go into quarantine at their own expense for at least 10 days before proceeding to their respective institutions.
Ten universities aim to complete the academic year before the end of the 2020 calendar year, four plan to end in January, seven in February and five in March 2021.
“This staggered ending of the academic year is linked to the ability to support students
and to ensure that all students have been given a reasonable opportunity to succeed,” Nzimande said.
He said it was anticipated that the results from the national senior certificate examination will be announced in February 2021. As a result, the start of the new academic year for first-year students will be staggered between March 8 and April 12, he said.
ALL UNIVERSITIES ARE IMPLEMENTING THEIR PLANS TO RETURN ALL STUDENTS AND STAFF FROM OCTOBER 1