Delay in exams in tertiary institutions as lockdown tightens  

Delay in exams in tertiary institutions as lockdown tightens  

A crisis looms in universities and other institutions of higher learning are in the midst of a crisis due to the suspension of physical learning to prevent the spread of Covid-19.   

This move has caused jitters among the stakeholders as many institutions opt for online learning although some are still struggling to find strong ground for online teaching as well as the administration of examinations.

In the midst of this, some institutions have not had their online programs approved by the Commission for University Education (CUE).

Further, this dire situation is made worse by the inability of some students to access online classes due to the absence of Internet availability as well as lack of Internet-enabled gadgets.

This disparity has made many students miss out on classes making them fail to graduate together with others virtually.

For instance, at the University of Nairobi, out of the usual close to 5,000 students graduating in September, only around 2,851 students graduated virtually. In the December graduation ceremony, out of the usual 10,000, a paltry 5,010 students graduated.     

The majority of both public and private universities had their first semester interrupted due to lockdown in March as a measure to curtail the spread of Covid-19.

To avoid too much backlog, most universities and other tertiary institutions have shifted to online learning but this has caused major problems to students who cannot afford the luxury of technology.

However, to ensure all universities are at par, the Commission for University Education (CUE) established benchmarks to accredit and approve online preparedness for online learning. 

This included making these institutions providing self-assessment reports (SARS) explaining their readiness to provide online teaching.