The Department of Higher Education and Training regulations, under the level 3 national lockdown restrictions, allow for only 33% of the student population to be allowed back on campus.
The 33% of students’ that will return to each campus are the following:
- Students in the final year of their programmes, who are on a path to graduating in 2020.
- Students in all years of study that require clinical training in their programmes (provided that the campus and the clinical training platforms are prepared and have sufficient space to accommodate them within the corresponding risk level maximum carrying capacity while adhering to safety protocols).
- Post Graduate students who require laboratory equipment and other technical equipment to undertake their studies.
The regulations state that all other students are “supported through remote multimodal teaching learning and assessment until they can return to campus.”
Even though institutions may identify other groups of students in line with their context, it is stated that “any deviation from the criteria identified above must be approved by the Department of Higher Education and Training, and must fall within the maximum of 33% of the student population.”
Small private higher education institutions, with less than 50 students, may apply to the Department for exemption from these criteria.
The Department has appealed to students who are yet to return to tertiary institutions to ensure they stay home to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
