Confirmed Students Permitted to Return to Campus Under Level 3 Lockdown

Since the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology’s announcement on the return of a maximum of one-third of the student population, UKZN leadership has been carefully planning for the event. The logistics and planning for the return of the students and staff are complex and has to be undertaken both carefully and systematically, especially in light of the rapidly increasing confirmed daily cases of COVID-19 nationally over the last two weeks. We do not want to jeopardise the health and safety of our students and staff, and therefore a carefully mitigated approach that minimises risk was sought.

There have been some additions to the categories of students eligible to return to campus which was listed in the Communique of 7 June 2020. The following categories have now been confirmed for a return to campus under Level 3 Lockdown:

1. Final year undergraduate students in laboratory-based programmes, who are on track to complete their degrees in this academic year;
2. Students in programmes which are clinically-based (lists determined by the College of Health Sciences);
3. Students with disabilities;
4. SRC Executive;
5. Student Residence Assistants, Student Life Officers, and Residence Assistant Officers;
6. Undergraduate students that have not been able to access Moodle and who are not already included in (a) and (b). Those to be included are determined by analysis of data on access to Moodle by ICS and Institutional Intelligence;
7. Post-graduate students who require access to laboratory equipment. Each College has compiled lists;
8. Honours and Post-graduate Diploma students whose work is laboratory-based;
9. Students appointed as laboratory demonstrators for the students in the programmes that will be eligible to return to campus.

The plan is that the first cohort of students under Level 3 lockdown will return to campus on Monday, 29 June 2020. Colleges will be contacting individual students during the course of the next week to inform them of their eligibility to return to campus. If the student has not been contacted, the student, must not return to campus. There will be stringent regulations with regard to the access  of campuses and residences, and therefore students that are not in possession of a permit will be denied access.

Students who are at high risk of infection due to health issues, including co-morbidities, are encouraged to not return to campus and to continue with online teaching and learning. There will be no contact teaching and learning (i.e. physical lectures), except in laboratories. We encourage all students who can study online to continue to do so and not return to campus.

The Colleges will be staggering the return to campus, and students must take note of the dates provided to them for their return to campus. Due to health and safety measures, and ensuring compliance with regulations, students may not necessarily be accommodated in the residence that they were allocated pre-lockdown. Eligible students will be informed of their assigned residences. Students returning to University-owned and leased residences will be expected to self-isolate for a period of 14 days on returning to the residence. Further details on health screening and training of students on health and safety etiquette will follow in a subsequent communiqué next week.

Students who have been contacted by the Colleges and have been informed that they are eligible to return to the campuses from Monday, 29 June 2020 will have to apply for permits. The details for the application for permits will be provided.  

We look forward to welcoming our students back to campus. However, we must emphasize that the return to campus will come with the expectation of a strong sense of personal and community responsibility, particularly with respect to compliance with regulations and adherence to all health and safety protocols. Every student returning to campus will have to consent and adhere to a strict code of conduct. Further details in this regard will be shared in the coming days.

Issued by
Professor Nana Poku
Vice-Chancellor and Principal

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ABAFUNDI ABAVUNYELWE UKUBUYELA EKHEMPASINI NGAPHANSI KWESIGABA 3

Basebenzi Nabafundi

Emva kwesimemezelo sikaNgqongqoshe wezeMfundo Ephakeme, ezeSayensi nezokuQanjwa Kokusha mayelana nokubuyela kwabafundi abayingxenye engokuthathu kwesibalo esiphelele sabafundi, abaphathi base-UKZN bebekuhlelele lokhu kubuyela kwabafundi ngokucophelela. Izinhlelo nemidanti yokubuyela kwabafundi nabasebenzi kubucayi kakhulu, futhi kumele kwenziwe ngokukhulu ukucophelela nokuhleleka, ikakhulukazi uma kubhekwa isibalo sokutheleleka kwabantu esikhula ngesivinini esikhulu nsukuzonke emasontweni amabili edlule. Asifuni ukubeka izimpilo nokuphepha kwabafundi nabasebenzi bethu engcupheni ngakhoke sifune indlela yokubuyela esikhungweni ehlelwe ngokucophelela okufanele. 

Sekunezinye izigaba zabafundi abavumelekile ukubuyela ekhempasini ezengeziwe kulezo engizimemezele ngomhla ziyi-7 kuNhlangulana (June) 2020. Lezi zigaba ezilandelayo seziqinisekisiwe ukuthi zingabuyela ekhempasini ngaphansi kwesigaba 3 semvalelwandlini:

1. Abafundi abenza unyaka wokugcina weziqu zabo zokuqala ezinhlelweni ezisebenzisa amalebhu, abasethubeni elihle lokuphothula iziqu zabo kulo nyaka wokufunda;
2. Abafundi abasezinhlelweni eziphathelene nezokwelapha (uhlu luzokhishwa iKolishi LeziFundo ZezeMpilo);
3. Abafundi abanokukhubazeka;
4. Isigungu Esiphezulu somkhandlu Wabafundi;
5. Abalekelela ezindaweni zokuhlala zabafundi, ababhekelele ezabafundi, nabasezindaweni zokuhlala zabafundi;
6. Abafundi abenza iziqu zokuqala abangakwazanga ukufinyelela ku-Moodle futhi abangeyona ingxenye ka (a) no (b). Abazofakwa lapha bazohlonzwa ngokuhlaziywa kwemininingo yokungena ku- Moodle uphiko i-ICS nabezemininingo yesikhungo i-Institutional Intelligence;
7. Abafundi abaneziqu abadinga ukusebenzisa okokusebenza okutholakala emalebhu. Uhlu lukhishwe iKolishi ngalinye;
8. Abafundi beziqu ze-Onazi nabenza iziqu zeDiploma Eziphakeme abasebenzisa amalebhu emsebenzini wabo wesikole;
9. Abafundi abalekelela ngokukhombisa indlela yokwenziwa komsebenzi kubafundi abanye emalebhu abasezinhlelweni ezihlinzekelwe ukubuyela ekhempasini.

Kuhlelwe ukuthi iqoqo lokuqala labafundi ngaphansi Kwesigaba 3 Semvamvelwandlini libuyele ekhempasini ngoMsombuluko zingama-29kuNhlangulana (June) 2020. AmaKolishi azothintana nabafundi ngesonto elizayo ukubazisa ngokugunyazwa kwabo ukubuyela ekhempasini. Uma ungathintwanga, sicela uqikelele ukuthi awuzi ekhempasini. Kuzoba nemigomo eqinile kakhulu mayelana nokungena emakhempasini nasezindaweni zokuhlala, ngakhoke abafundi abangenazo izimvume ngeke bavunyelwe ukungena.

Abafundi abasengcupheni yokutheleleka ngenxa yezimo zezempilo, okuhlanganisa nezifo abanazo, bayakhuthazwa ukuba bangabuyeli ekhempasini baqhubeke nokufunda besebenzisa ubuchwepheshe bezokufunda nokufundisa. Ukufunda nokufundisa okujwayelekile (amakilasi ajwayelekile) ngeke kube khona ngaphandle kokusebenzisa amalebhu. Sikhuthaza bonke abafundi abakwaziyo ukufunda besebenzisa ubuchwepheshe ukuba baqhubeke nokwenza kanjalo futhi bangabuyeli ekhempasini.

AmaKolishi azohlela ukubuyela ekhempasini ngokwezigaba, futhi abafundi kumele baqikelele izinsuku ezibekiwe zokubuyela kwabo ekhempasini. Ngenxa yezimiso zezempilo nokuphepha, abafundi ngeke bahlaliswe ezindaweni zokuhlala abebehlala kuzona kungakaqali imvalelwandlini. Abafundi abanemvume bazokwaziswa ngezindawo zokuhlala abanikwe zona. Abafundi ababuyela ezindaweni zokuhlala eziqashiwe noma zeNyuvesi bazolindeleka ukuba bazivalele bodwa izinsuku eziyi-14 befikile endaweni yokuhlala. Eminye imininingwane ngezindlela zokuziphatha ngokwezempilo nokuphepha izolandela ngesimemezelo esizokhishwa esontweni elizayo.

Abafundi abathintwe amaKolishi futhi abaziswe ukuthi bavumelekile ukubuyela ekhempasini kusukela ngomhla zingama-29 kuNhlangulana (June) 2020 kuzodingeka bafake izicelo zezimvume. Iminingwane ngokufakwa kwezicelo zezimvume nayo izolandela ngesimemezelo esilandelayo.

Sikulindele ukwamukela abafundi bethu ekhempasini, futhi sifisa ukugcizelela ukuthi ukubuyela ekhempasini kuhambisana nokulindeleka kwendlela yokuziphatha efanele ikakhulukazi mayelana nokulandelwa kwezimisi nemigomo ebekiwe yezempilo nezokuphepha. Wonke umfundi ozobuyela ekhempasini kudingeka avume futhi alandele ngokugcwele  indlela yokuziphatha ebekiwe. Eminye imininingwane mayelana nalokhu izokhishwa ezinsukwini ezizayo.

Ozithobayo
NguSolwazi Nana Poku
ISekelashansela NoMphathi
ENyuvesi YaKwaZulu-Natal