COVID-19: Tertiary institutions to reopen in January 2021

President Akufo-Addo has announced the reopening of academic activities for all Tertiary schools in January 2021.

He made this known in a nationwide address on Sunday, October 18, 2020.

“SHS 2 and JHS 2 students are back in school, as are some students in tertiary institutions and colleges. Indeed, the academic year for new and continuing University students will commence from January 2021.”

Schools had been closed since March 15, 2020, as part of the government’s measures to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Educational institutions were subsequently reopened in phases for final year students to complete their academic as well as continuing students to complete the academic year.

Virtual assessment 

University online assessment must be coupled with face-to-face assessment in order to get an effective and valid examination assessment, Dean of the University of Ghana school of education and leadership Professor Jonathan Fletcher has suggested.

According to him, the issue of assessment is a bother in many universities across the country, since schools were closed in March this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“There is difficulty is assessing students online, its not very easy. Which is why it is very important to try at the moment get the combination of face-to-face. If you ask me I will want students to be assessed face-to-face because in that as you can then prove ownership.”

He went on “in UG, for example, there’s been a great improvement in assessment, the reason is that students have actually come to campus. And even if they are doing online assessment, they have invigilators there and so you know who is writing the paper.”

“If we are not able to assess students validly and reliably online, I wouldn’t suggest 100%  virtual learning, that won’t work. Considering the resources that universities have at the moment, it will be very difficult to ensure that online assessment is valid.”

Prof Fletcher acknowledged that covid-19 has provided the opportunity for a number of faculties to learn how to do assessments online which is a very good thing.

He added “and so the way forward is to do a combination, a hybrid system. Because whatever happens, face-to-face has been part of our system. So, I do not think a time will come that it will be impossible for us to do face-to-face.