THE Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education has asked
network service providers to offer free Internet to university students so that
they access online learning material, as Government moves to enhance digital
learning platforms during the Covid-19-induced national lockdown.
Government recently advised all universities to develop
material for online lectures to ensure learning is not disrupted while at the
same time upholding the social distancing principles as well as minimising
movement and interaction between students and lecturers.
In an interview, Higher and Tertiary Education, Science and
Technology Development Minister Professor Amon Murwira said the ministry was
negotiating with network service providers and pushing for free access to
online learning material as well as university websites.
Prof Murwira said the ministry has already presented the
proposal and now awaits responses.
“Universities in the country are working on online learning
and there is a lot of progress. We are now working on having zero rating for
their websites. We want telecommunication companies not to charge students when
they visit university websites to obtain learning material. We are now working
on the modalities of that and we have written letters to that effect. We are
now waiting to see how it can be concluded,” he said.
Prof Murwira said the ministry will also be guided by
Government decisions on Covid-19 to decide on whether e-learning becomes full
scale.
The development will cater for underprivileged students who
might not have resources to access the Internet frequently.
“The position that we have taken as a ministry is to be
guided by the decisions taken by the Head of State and Government. We follow
directives through the emergency rules. Our primary objective is to safeguard
lives,” he said.
Midlands State University (MSU) has already complied with
the directive and introduced online lectures for students through its
e-learning platforms.
MSU Vice Chancellor Professor Victor Muzvidziwa said
education across the globe has taken a new trajectory and it was incumbent upon
universities to embrace new learning methods and enhance access to education.
“Covid-19 is not peculiar to our country. We do not know
how and when it will end. So, we need to prepare ourselves for anything. As MSU
we are fortunate that we had our electronic library where our students were
accessing electronic journals and books. We have electronic resources for our
students. We have to also not over-rely on brick and mortar libraries.
“Learning has to go on and the novel coronavirus in as much
as it is a challenge, has also made us to see new opportunities. We think
outside the box so that we proffer solutions to the challenges that would have
befallen us. We do not need to focus on the dark cloud,” he said. Chronicle
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