Chancellor College re-opened at the beginning of September, 2020. However, this opening was only to Fourth Year and Postgraduate students. This is in line with the phased approach to opening which the college has decided upon, as a way of preventing the possible spread of COVID-19. Students in other years of study may join the campus later on, in October, 2020.
The dominant opinion among the students on campus is one of appreciation that they are now able to resume their studies, having been idle at home for several months. They point out that at home, it was difficult to focus on their studies or do their assignments, because the home environment was not conducive to such activities. Most of them were also busy doing chores for their parents.
Three female Fourth year Bachelor of Arts (Humanities) Students, Eunice Jemi, Pauline Chidakwa and Tiyamike Kananji, express optimism that they will now be able to complete their studies. “We feel that we are safer here than at home, because we are just a few and we meet the same people every day in our classrooms,” they said. This is particularly the case because students in the other years of study are not on campus. “In addition, the service and space in the library are superb. We are able to access resources freely and sit wherever we like. We would actually prefer if this arrangement was maintained until we complete the semester,” they said.
The students have all been given face masks, which they wear on campus. They also appreciate that their lectures have commenced smoothly, with social distancing being observed in the classrooms. That is because the college has allocated spacious rooms for the lectures. The students also observe that the presence of the nurses at strategic points on campus is a positive move.
“They make me feel condent when I meet them in the morning and they take my temperature and tell me that it is within the normal range,” said one student. “This make me walk onto campus with a positive attitude.”
One key observation from the students is that WiFi access is more stable and faster since they are a small group. They are therefore hope able to work on their assignments and conduct other research work assigned to them. It is their hope that the internet access will continue to be excellent.