UCC lecturers have been urged to support Management to implement the COVID-19 measures and protocols when the University re-opens for final-year students.

The Head of UCC COVID-19 Rapid Response Taskforce, Dr. James Prah, made the call when he gave a presentation on the theme “Return of Students to Campus in the Face of COVID-19: What Lecturers Should Know” at A Virtual Seminar organised by the University Teachers Association (UTAG), UCC branch. 

Re-opening of the University

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his address on May 31, 2020, directed all educational institutions including universities to re-open on June 15, 2020, for final year students to complete their studies. In view of this, Management had put in place COVID-19 measures and protocols to ensure the safety of staff, students, and the University community.

Expectation from Lecturers

Dr. Prah noted that lecturers had a role to play by ensuring that students adhered to the measures and protocols. “As compliance officers, you have to be certain that there is regular availability of water and soap and also encourage students to get personal hand sanitizers with them,” he indicated. In addition, he told the lecturers not to allow any student without face masks into the lecture hall. “All students and staff who do not wear the face masks should be prevented from entering lecture halls, halls of residence and offices,” he cautioned.

Dr. Prah, who is also the Deputy Director of University Health Service, assured the gathering that the COVID-19 Rapid Response Taskforce will always be on standby to attend to any suspected case on campus. He announced that as part of the measures, some rooms had been designated for isolation in the halls of residence. In addition, he noted that some selected staff in the various departments would be trained to check the temperature of staff and students.

Revision for Exams

On her part, the Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Dora Edu-Buandoh, noted that lecturers were expected to take students through what they taught them while on campus and the online engagement after the University went on break. “We don’t expect lecturers to introduce new topics when the final year students arrive. You have to only do revision to prepare them for the end-of-semester examination,” she explained.

The President of UTAG, Dr. Bert Boadi-Kusi, explained that the rationale for the seminar was to allay fears of members who would have direct contact with students. “This seminar has been organised to update members on measures Management has put in place to protect them and staff from contracting the virus,” he noted.