This Monday, KSU held an urgent online KE/KPS meeting to inform the student body of the contingency plan UM has in place for the coming academic year. However, with various unanswered questions remaining, a letter was also sent to the Superintendent of Health so as to ensure that the authorities hear the students’ voices.
As of yet, despite the persistent number of new COVID-19 cases, University of Malta is set to open its doors to freshers on 19th October. With Freshers’ Week already cancelled, the prospect of returning to normality in less than two months seems all the more impractical. While there is a ‘Plan B’ for lectures to shift completely online if the situation worsens, this scenario brings with it many unanswered questions. The fruitful discussion that took place during the meeting clarified many of these uncertainties.
KSU informed student representatives of the plans UM currently has in place to safeguard students’ health and safety for the coming academic year.
The main outcome of the meeting was a consensus to establish online lectures as a fixed option for university students even after the pandemic phases out.
- Lectures will be held both online and physically.
- *For lectures with larger groups, students would be split into two smaller groups; wherein either group would alternate between attending the lecture in person or online.
*This system will be adopted only where it is deemed necessary due to space constraints, so that social distancing within classes can be adhered to.
- An option to take online classes will be introduced for students uncomfortable with attending physically.
- Practicals will remain on campus.
- Areas at university will be provided for students who cannot stay at home for online lectures.
There are also some other systems that could potentially be implemented; however, there has been no finite decision yet.
- A shuttle service is being considered from the Msida to the Valletta campus due to the parking problem in Valletta and the higher risk of contracting the virus on buses.
- A benchmark system has been requested to be established in place of exams if the number of active cases exceeds a certain amount.
Earlier today, KSU have posted on their Facebook page a rundown of the questions they directed towards the Superintendent of Health. Amongst which, were many demands for clarifications regarding the coming MATSEC exam sessions and UM resit sessions.
This meeting came after a KSU contacted student organisations and representatives to draw up a Pandemic Response Policy collaboratively. This policy is aimed to prepare and equip the University any similar future outbreaks, or a prolonged period of the current situation.