Chronicle Editor
Leroy Dzenga, Harare Bureau
Some universities are postponing their end of semester examinations as a precaution against the spike in local Covid-19 cases with most allowing students already present to finish writing their exams, but are postponing exams still to be written.
Each university or college is expected to make decisions based on the situation on the ground.
Classes that were yet to begin writing are the most likely to be affected as most universities have, or are likely to, postpone exams.
Great Zimbabwe University has since told students of the postponement in a statement by registrar Ms Sinikiwe Gwatidzo which gave students 24 hours to return to their homes. “Students who had travelled for face to face tuition, practical lessons and subsequent examinations return to their homes beginning today 22 July. “Vacation of halls of residence shall be allowed up to the end of day tomorrow, Thursday 23 July ,” the notice said.
The university postponed examinations, which were scheduled from August 3 to August 7, to a date still to be announced.
The University of Zimbabwe has also suspended exams save for final year medical students from 2019 whose assessment is overdue by nearly a year. UZ Registrar Dr Noah Mutongoreni said examinations scheduled for dates beyond July 26 have been postponed.
“All examinations beyond week ending 24 July 2020 are effectively deferred and students are expected to continue with their online classes and also hand in their projects and dissertations as earlier advised.
Clinical classes and examinations for MBChB and BDS Part V are unaffected and remain as previously scheduled,” Dr Mutongoreni said.
There is confusion in the academic circles as students at universities, which are yet communicate their positions, wait to learn what they are supposed to do. Government has empowered institutions to use their discretion in making determinations on examinations.
Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Permanent Secretary Professor Fanuel Tagwira explained that those who were already writing will finish their papers.
“Those who were in the middle of writing cannot be disrupted. However, those who were yet to begin will have to hear from their institutions. Each university is making its own assessment and coming up with a decision on whether or not to continue with examinations under such conditions,” he said.
Professor Tagwira said those who had not started were unlikely to write until the situation improved, as their papers might take three weeks, which is a long time in a pandemic environment. “There are no hard and fast rules as the President did not order universities to close. However, as a matter of precaution universities are better off stopping examinations for now until the situation improves, because if a single person tests positive according to WHO guidelines they are supposed to close,” said Prof Tagwira.
“After examinations, people can continue learning online until it is safe to return on campus.”
Zimbabwe has been trying to navigate how schooling will happen in the new normal for both elementary and tertiary education but rising Covid-19 cases have put the plans in disarray.
Some universities like Chinhoyi University of Technology were lucky that their scheduling allowed them finish examinations before the need for closure arose, the last class for this examination session is writing today.
Online Reporter