“We will be starting our Master’s Degree Program very soon and the Liberian Government cannot single handily Sponsor this Project so I’m appealing to INGOs and Embassies near and in Monrovia for support.“–Prof. Elliott Wreh Wilson
By Charles Gbayor, maorethason1997@gmail.com
HARPER, Liberia- The 11th Opening Convocation of the William V S Tubman University has taken place here, as hundreds of students return to campus for the resumption of academic year 2020/2021.
TU is the second state-owned university in the country and the ceremony took place in this southeastern port city recently locates 403 kilometers southeast of Monrovia.
Hundreds of students from the University’s six functional Colleges along with Deans and Professors attended. They were led by the Vice President for Academic Affairs the University and its President, Dr. Elliot Wreh Wilson as well as the Chief Medical Officer of Maryland County Health Team, Dr. Methodius George.
This year Opening Convocation was held under Theme: The Reality of Higher Education Learning in the midst of COVID -19: TU aspires for Quality and Excellence.
This institution was elevated to a full fledge University in 2009 under the Unity Party-led government of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf by the National High Commissioner on Education.
TU’s President Dr. Elliot Wreh Wilson during the Opening Convocation cautioned Professors to help create a well-functioning learning and teaching environment that both the staff and students can enjoy.
“I want to tell you Professor is because of these people (students) that you are here and try as much as possible to create a strong relationship with them and Classroom management should also be your major priority,” Dr. Wreh Wilson said.
He disclosed that the University will begin its Master’s Degree Programs in February of next year 2021 and he used the occasion to call on international organizations and Embassies near Monrovia to help fund the University.
“We will be starting our Master Degree Program very soon and the Liberian Government cannot single handily Sponsor this Project so I’m appealing to INGOs and Embassies near and in Monrovia for support.“
The 11th Opening Convocation Keynote Speaker Maryland County Chief Medical Officer Dr. Methodius George, spoke on the Theme: The Reality of Higher Education Learning in the midst of COVID -19: TU aspires for Quality and Excellence.
Delivering this Keynote Address, Dr .George gave a lecture on the outbreak of the COVI-19 pandemic.
Dr. George said in December 2019, a viral outbreak of pneumonia of unknown origin occurred in Wuhan, China. On January 9, 2020, the World Health Organization officially announced the discovery of a novel coronavirus; SARs- CoV2. This new virus is responsible for the respiratory disease called COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease). COVID-19. It spread rapidly around the world and was declared a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020. Since the emergent of the COVID-19 , there are 34, 069, 930 cases globally and Liberia 1,343 recorded in accordance with the case definitions and testing strategies in about 215 Countries with the death of 1,016, 218 and 82 in Liberia. This virus has caused definite irretrievable damage to the global economy affecting all sectors of life which the educational sector is of no exception.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, is Tubman University prepare for the resumption of classes in aspiring for quality and excellence? Looking at our setting in south-eastern Liberia, which mode of education would be applicable? Is it the Online Learning or Traditional Face to-Face learning? Both bring huge challenges with limited benefits.
Critically analyzing both, the traditional face to face learning is of relevance to South-eastern Liberia. Importantly, what are the measures the Tubman University had put in place to tackle the challenges of the Traditional Learning. The first thing to do for the resumption of On-Campus activities is to conduct a self-assessment which has already done.
The goal is to identify the areas of risk and determine the extent to which the proposed mitigation measures would reduce the risk of COVID-19 Spread. Therefore, the Tubman University should have planned months in advance to ensure all options are weighed carefully and ample thought is given to all aspects of University’s life.
Some elements to consider for learning amidst the COVID-19 are health safety protocols and Materials, quality academic programs, financial resources and management.
These are all difficult issues and COVID-19 is a very complicated and difficult problem which needs to keenly be looked at for traditional learning purposes. But the health and safety concerns surrounding COVID-19 are probably the ones that will garner the most focus.
Bringing people together to congregate is risky for viral transformation. So, in order to reduce the risk for viral transformation, some very new and unprecedented steps will be needed. It will be a challenge and iterative process to put adequate protective measures in place while bringing students, staff and faculty back together.
Social distancing is a major problem. Are there enough spaces available to accommodate the students? If not, are there resources for creating them? If yes, does the University have the manpower or will the university compensate professors for overloads? These bring out the reality of higher education learning in the midst of COVID-19. With the waiver of tuition for Government owned universities by the government of Liberia, these cannot be done by the Tubman University’s administration alone. They need the collaborative efforts of the Representatives of the house of Representative of the South-eastern counties to lobby for increased budgetary allocation for Tubman University.
As part of the health protocol for reopening of schools, nose mask wearing is mandatory. There are some students, staff and faculty who have respiratory or cardiac issues. Would they wear nose mask for several hours? Will the classes be well ventilated? It is now time the Tubman University Clinic be well-equipped to resuscitate emergency cases before referral.
Students can no longer conglomerate to share ideas or do assignments. Some students depend on others for clarity of lecture notes and the only time to meet is on the campus. COVID-19 training of staff, students and faculty is one of the best ways to break the chain of transmission of COVID-19 while school is in progress. I thereby urge the Tubman University to work with the Maryland County Health Team to see how best measures are put into place to afford students the opportunity to be part of the traditional learning process.
Dr. George said it is now time the local government gets totally involved to support the Tubman University. This may not be financial but other aspects that would help alleviate the burden that COVID-19 Pandemic pose on the university.
Despite all these challenges that COVID-19 had posed, the traditional learning is the best as compared to the online learning in a rural setting like ours, according to Dr. Goerge.