Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, will this morning visit the Tshwane University of Technology, Ga-Rankuwa Campus to assess its state of readiness for the phased return of students to the university.
The Minister’s visit follows a media briefing on 23 May 2020 in which the department announced COVID-19 level 3 lockdown health and safety measures and subsequent regulations.
During the briefing, Nzimande announced a phased reopening of campus activities in the entire Post School Education and Training sector as it continues to implement a risk adjusted strategy.
Under level 4, the sector has provided for a controlled return of final year students in programmes requiring clinical training, starting with medicine (MBChB) and the phasing-in of all other programmes, such as Nursing, Dental and Veterinary Sciences.
The department said that medical students have been returning to clinical training platforms from 11 May 2020, and other final year students in other programmes requiring clinical training began returning from 1 June 2020, when level 3 lockdown started.
“Universities have already identified students who will be returning to campuses at various levels of the lockdown and universities have already made provision for the necessary health and safety measures, permissions and permits for the students to travel back to campus,” the department said.
After the visit to the university, Nzimande will this afternoon hold a virtual media briefing on progress in the implementation of COVID-19 measures.
At the briefing, the Minister will focus on Post School Education and Training (PSET) institution readiness, implementation of Health plans, electronic devices and data for students, as well as Student Funding Policy and the N+ Rule (the number of years that the student has been registered at any tertiary institution of higher learning in South Africa).
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