CI-NEWS

School resumption in universities: Directives by higher education minister

2020-05-07

No: 494

School resumption in universities: Directives by higher education minister.

Below is a press statement issued after the video-conference.

“The Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education, today Wednesday the 29^th of April 2020, presided over as from 11:00a.m a video-conference with Heads of National and International University Institutions, officials of Higher Education Establishments with a special status, as well as Proprietors of Private Higher Education Institutes.”

In his opening address, the Minister of State presented the context within which the meeting was holding. He further congratulated the various officials on the excellent work done during the first semester and for all the measures taken for the continuation of online classes since the beginning of the second semester. He finally invited these officials to give a balance sheet of the conduct of academic activities since the closure of campuses and on the measures undertaken to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

It was evident from the various presentations that since the 13^th of April 2020, the date of the resumption of distant teaching for the second semester, online classes have been ongoing conveniently via various digital platforms put in place to this effect in all the Higher Education institutions. Not withstanding some structural difficulties which are progressively being looked at, teachers and students completely adhere to his new teaching method.

Following these presentations and discussions that ensued, the Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education, gave some directives, capable of ensuring a proper end of the academic year. These directives which flow from the instructions of the Prime Minister, Head of Government, include the following:

Resumption of face to face classes from June 1, 2020. These classes will run for 08 weeks;
The readjustment of the academic calendar with a view to closing the year on August 30, 2020 and resuming the activities of the academic year 2020-2021 on October 15, 2020;
The breakdown of large-scale classes into several groups, so as to respect social distancing measures;
Regular disinfection of lecture halls and classrooms to guarantee the health of students;
Installation of hand washing points in front of amphitheaters, classrooms and pedagogic buildings;
The acquisition of thermo-flashes in order to detect and take care of asymptomatic.cases;
The renovation in equipment of the medico-social centres in order to enable them to coordinate all activities for the prevention of the propagation of the coronavirus.

At the end of this interactive working session, the Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education, exhorted the various officials to be more vigilant in their actions so that the health and security of members of the University community is preserved during this delicate period, as we glide towards the end of the academic year.

The meeting ended at 12:30pm.”

Yaounde, 20 April 2020

(s) Prof. Jacques Fame NDONGO

The Minister of State, Minister of Higher Education

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School resumption in universities: Directives by higher education minister