Varsities protest ministry's directive on online learning
Tuesday June 02 2020
A lecturer supervises examinations at a university. The government has directed universities to repeat courses offered online once physical learning resumes. Photo | Cyril Ndegeya
Universities are up in arms after the Ministry of Education issued a directive requiring them to repeat all courses taught online under the Covid-19 lockdown once physical learning resumes in September.
The ministry notified all higher learning institutions in the country that online teaching is not considered alternative to normal learning mode, and they should not charge tuition fees from students during this period.
“Higher learning institutions wishing to establish the Online Distance Learning (ODL) mode of teaching will have to apply for its accreditation,” Minister for Education Dr Valentine Uwamariya said in a notice dated May 12.
The ministry argues that despite efforts by universities to switch to online classes, the process was affected by lack of ICT tools and Internet connectivity for majority of students and some staff, while most academic staff and students are not conversant with e-learning platforms due to lack or poor training.
However, much as officials of affected universities admit that some of the cited reasons are valid such as not charging tuition fees under the pretense of teaching under normal circumstances, they fault the ministry for failing to recognize their efforts even where quality is guaranteed.
Officials of INES Ruhengeri, a Musanze-based applied sciences university for instance indicate that it would be unfair invalidating efforts deployed to online teaching which had helped cover the theoretical part of the modules with practical and laboratory work expected to be covered when academies reopen.
“If it is allowed that some universities can register in Rwanda and teach online then there should be that flexibility when one made sure that all the students are connected.
Some of us are teaching and quality is being guaranteed,” INES-Ruhengeri vice Chancellor Dr Fabien Hagenimana, told Rwanda Today, adding that they were pushing for negotiation with the ministry of education through the association of private higher learning institutions.
"It makes very little sense to pay people and make efforts just to occupy students. It is demotivating,” he said.
The concerns are shared by several other universities especially privately owned academies that switched to online classes since late March when the lockdown came into effect, and the subsequent announcement that schools would remain closed until September.
Special classes
Rwanda Today learnt that most were allowed to proceed on condition that they do not administer exams, and plan special classes when they reopen to cater for a section of the students who may miss out.
The University of Kigali had moved its day, evening and weekend programmes online as replacement the normal classroom mode terming it “a short term solution to address students studies and catering for our student’s academic requirements till we go back to normal business.”
The university also indicated that e-leaning program would assist in avoiding the disruption of the academic calendar and by extension of the time students ought to complete their respective degree programmes.