University of Pretoria moves to online teaching and learning

The University of Pretoria will resume teaching and learning online for the wrap-up of the first semester as part of its measures to help curb the Covid-19 outbreak damage on the academic calendar.

UP vice-chancellor Professor Tawana Kupe, said three of four major network providers have already ensured that students would have free access to the educational websites.

He said the university was in talks with other telecommunication providers to ensure all students would have access to the internet from their homes.

“The discussions are already well advanced, with three of the four major providers that will zero-rate a number of web sites that students use regularly for study purposes, including but not limited to, UP (Blackboard), the library’s website and student and staff portals,” Kupe said.

He said the university’s Solidarity fund will assist with purchasing devices that will be loaned to students who do not have laptops and other devices that enable online learning.

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“We are committed to providing all our students with the necessary support to ensure their success and to ensure no student is left behind,” he said.

Kupe said the programme will start on 4 May and end on 17 June for the first semester.

He said this might change based on the response of the national government to the Covid-19 crisis.

“As you know, the situation regarding the Covid-19 pandemic is very fluid and circumstances might change at short notice,” he said.

He added that the university was also working with MultiChoice to use one of its channels for teaching and learning.

Online teaching and learning from Monday, is also set to start for the University of Witwatersrand, University of Johannesburg (UJ), Stellenbosch and University of Cape Town alongside other leading universities in the country.

All universities and TVET colleges closed on 17 March following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s declaration of a national state of disaster due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

Since then the department of higher education and training has endorsed initiatives of online learning and teaching.

“The department is offering immediate assistance to tertiary institutions who don’t have the capability to offer online teaching.

“As a department, we are engaging with all our universities and colleges on pursuing online learning modalities where possible, while also looking at the possibility of using readily available study guides for the trimester and semester programmes, and a structured catch-up programme for the annual national curriculum (vocational) programmes,” the department said.

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