Lockdown: Stop E-exams now! GIJ students oppose online exams
Some students of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) have vehemently opposed the university management’s introduction of an online examination.
Management of GIJ on April 15, provided students with an examination guideline informing students of the commencement of the end of semester examination slated for May 25.
“Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs) shall be taken within a 12-hour period from the time the paper is scheduled. Each examination, using MCQs, should carry a maximum of 60 questions to be completed in a maximum of 1 hour 30 minutes.
“The 12-hour window for MCQ papers implies that students may log in at different times depending on their circumstances within the 12 hours after the scheduled commencement of that paper, and submit the work based on the time allocated for the paper from the time they logged in. The submission shall be done electronically via a designated means to be indicated or approved by the Institute/HoD,” the exams guideline read.
But some students say the decision to organise an online examination during the coronavirus lockdown would not be beneficial.
According to them, management of the school had failed to address concerns raised since online learning started almost a month ago when schools in the country were shut because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The students have also accused the university’s management of failing to consult the student body prior to the decision to organise an online examination.
They also say some of their colleagues have moved back to the rural areas where they came from since the announcement of a partial lockdown in Accra.
“It’ll be difficult for those of us who don’t even have smartphones and easy access to the internet. I think they need to reconsider this whole online examination decision,” a student told theghanareport.com.
Meanwhile, students at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), have also started a campaign against the university authority’s decision to organise online examinations.
The concerned UPSA students in an earlier statement had asked management of the school to review its e-learning policy introduced in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Concerned UPSA students want management to review its e-learning policy
These students are so pathetic. Everything is being done to assist them through these tragic circumstances, and all they do is whine about inconsequential matters.
It’s not about being pathetic Mr . Chairman, accurate time keeper fellow audience, lol that isn’t necessary, all l will save open up your selfish minds to the circumstances of this e-learning and e-exams.
Ghana, Covid-19 and E-Learning Systems In The Various Universities.
As the President of the Republic of Ghana said, “this is not the normal times.”
Every single person in Ghana is not focused, whether the person is a student or not. They are not focused because of nothing but because of the corona virus pandemic and its related psychological effect.
All Universities were been closed down on 16th March, 2020 till further notice by the President. The President further in his address to the Nation indicated that the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Ministry of Communication has been tasked to roll out distance learning programmes and which some of the Universities did.
Vice Chancellors should have met to discuss the consequences of this E-Learning Systems that has been rolled out to the students in their own capacities to take lectures at the comfort of their homes which was not the case in previous times. Most students are facing a lot of challenges as to how to use these platforms.
Students that were not able to pay their school fees before these restrictions were put in place have no access to these E-Learning platforms. Other students from remote areas in the various parts of Ghana attending schools in Greater Accra and Ashanti regions upon the lockdown put in place to stop the spread of Covid-19 went back to their various homes.
In some of these areas, the network connections are very poor and students can not have lectures online. As a matter of fact all networks are not reliable in the country and we can not afford to write exams on the platforms.
We know that this is a very good policy put in place by the Government to engage students over this Covid-19 period, we appreciate that fact but we are faced with so many challenges that needs to be addressed immediately.
Abdul-Latif Abdul-Salam,
University of Professional Studies, Accra(UPSA),
P. O. Box LG 149, Accra, Ghana.