After the Zimbabwe Open University Board sat for discussions, a decision was made that students should write exams despite the rapid spread of coronavirus in the country.
Due to the coronavirus, students have been studying online from the comfort of their homes.The institution has decided to turn the Chinoyi Training Centre that is currently used as a quarantine centre to an examination centre.
The decision to use the isolation centre as an examination room did not sit well with students who complained to the institution that they were not comfortable with the arrangement as it exposed them to contracting coronavirus.
Although reports state that 23 returnees were housed at the centre, Stewart Mandiwanza the acting ZOU spokesperson said that students were not at high risks of contracting the infection since the quarantine building was 100 metres away from the examination rooms.
Mandiwanza said the board did not overlook the possible complaints that the students would have. The examinations would still go on as planned and the institution hopes that not even COVID-19 will be a hindrance.
“Students will write examinations as planned and nothing will change that decision. The quarantine centre is guarded by police and there are some demarcations such that students writing examinations and those in quarantine will not mix easily,” Mandiwanza said.
“It is also important to note that the university took great strides to consult and engage with relevant key stakeholders in view of how lethal COVID-19 disease is,” concluded Mandiwanza.
