The Public Relations Officer for the Kumasi Technical University (KsTU), Dr. Charles Obeng Sarpong has informed that the school, regardless of recommencement for students to finish course outline and write exams will still embark on virtual means of lecturing to curtail congestion during some periods.

According to him, KsTU is all set to accommodate final year students to write their exams revealing that, per the plan of the school’s authorities, the end of next month has been slated for examinations to finish.

 

 

“Our students are arriving and the fact that the president has said they should come does not necessarily mean that when they come they will sit in class for the lecturer to teach them all times. If we can do the lecture through the virtual means also, then there would not be the need for us to converge in class,” Dr. Charles Obeng Sarpong said.

“In all these, we are making sure that we lessen the number of contacts. Yes, they will be around but online communication will continue. But as and when we will go in class will also continue to make sure the environment is safe.

“We are ready and our preoccupation is to make sure that final students come, complete their course of study and write their exams. Per our plan we want to ensure that by 31 st July they would have written their exams and left,” he ended.

 

 

The President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during his 11th Address to Ghanaians on measures taken to combat the spread of coronavirus authorized the continuation of education for some final year students in the tertiary institutions for a six-week learning period with the rest not “returning to school, as some of them, through virtual means, have already sat their exit examinations.”

The government promised to equip Universities with the “necessary personal protective equipment, and have isolation centers to deal with any positive cases."

Speaking to SoireeNews on Monday, June 15, 2020, at the campus of the Kumasi Technical University, the PRO elucidated that University deprived of meeting students as a result of the coronavirus pandemic effectively revived students through online lectures. He told that the institution in order to keep students abreast provided them an amount of data to keep the students-lecture relationship active.

 

 

“Kumasi Technical University is ready. If you recall initially when the university was asked to close down, we did but that closure did not end our interaction with the students. Since that time teaching and learning have been going on,” he said.

 

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“To facilitate that, what we did is that we made sure that every student received data because we were going to use the internet connectivity to do almost everything, so every student was given 4GB of data and every lecturer was also given just to ensure that teaching and learning continues. So it has gone on and as I speak with you, most of the lecturers have completed their various courses

On whether the items promised by government have been received, the PRO confirmed it arrival and enlightened that the Vice-Chancellor has put up a COVID Rapid Response Team to guide students in heeding to the various health protocols for the purpose of safety.

 

 

“We began to revive the things we have begun doing and so we thought that when the student comes they should be able to continue with their normal studies devoid of any danger.

And so a team that was put together by the Vice-Chancellor called the COVID Rapid Response Team made sure that all the protocols were remarked. i.e. making sure that the people wash their hands regularly under running water, sanitize their hands with alcohol-based sanitizers, practice the wearing of nose masks, observe social distancing and avoid contacting each other.

“All these were observed and the team was made to take care of that. What has given us the biggest boost is that when we came this morning (Monday), what the government promised on safety items had arrived, we have received 12, 456 pieces of nose masks, 10 pieces of thermometer guns, 4144 bottles of hand sanitizers, 15 gallons of liquid soap as well as 30 pieces of tissues.

 

 

“All of these are meant to support the effort the University has put in place. On this note, the government has done well.  We thought it was going to take time but over the weekend, we have delivery of these items. So if you go to the lecture hall this one-meter apart rule is to be observed so that if a student sits in class, he/she does not touch the other person,” he explained.

The Students Representative Council President, Frank Wireko Brobbey applauded the government’s fulfillment of promises on the provision of PPEs and safety needs assuring that every student of the Kumasi Technical University is entitled to three washable nose masks, therefore, compliance is key to help restore sanity on campus and Ghana as a whole.

 

 

He advised that students must politely attend to the directives regarding coronavirus given by Service Personnels on campus to curb the disease from broadening.

“Every student entering campus should follow the Service personnel or contract staff’s guidance in observing the various health protocols on campus. If we abide by them, we can restrain the virus in the two months of stay in school,” he added.