By Adedoyin Falolu
The University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka has announced the full reopening of academic activities saying both physical classrooms and online platforms for students, workers and other stakeholders will be made use of.
Speaking at a press conference to announce this,Prof Wole Familoni,Deputy Vice Chancellor,Academic and Research(DVC AR) said students across all levels will from next Monday, May 10, be on campus for lectures and also in hostels strictly by those, who have been allocated bed spaces.
Prof Oluwole Familoni, made at the news conference today, 7th May,2021 held at the Senate Chamber of the university with the Dean of Students’ Affairs, Prof Ademola Adeleke in the company of the Prof. Aderonke Adepeju-Bello,Chairman of Time-Table and Examinations Committee.
“It is now safe to have a full resumption of students and workers back on campus for the Second Semester of the 2019\2020 academic session and in an atmosphere of full compliance with all the COVID-19 safety guidelines and protocols still being observed at both the academic and hostel arenas”.
Familoni mentioned that all students are expected to wear face masks in and around campus and also have alcoholic hand sanitisers to use frequently and also avoid cluster gathering while on campus
He further said that all the eight hostels in the university had been fumigated and that only the students, who had been allocated bed spaces would be allowed to stay in the hostels and without squatters nor attache.
In addition,he said the university had an accommodation challenge as only 8, 868-bed spaces are available for both the undergraduate and post-graduates among about 55,000 students population currently enrolled with the institution.
The DVC also pointed out that lectures in courses for large classes, especially students in 100 and 200 levels would continue to be held via already publicised online platforms.
“We will also shift classes of students in higher levels where we have a large number of them like 300 or more and without lecture halls to maintain physical distancing to online,” he added.
He said the university recorded huge success in both the online exams and physical exams held while partial resumption lasted.
Speaking about the security on campus, he said while the school believes that safety is the business for all, it had specifically put many measures in place in and around the campus including the hostels.
According to him, the university, besides the installation of CCTV cameras around campus, has also gone to the police stations around the university to help keep eye on peoples’ movement around the university and that the internal security personnel to be more vigilant.
“For example,” he said “We have instructed our security men not to allow people with cars with deep-tinted glasses not to be allowed into campus let alone around hostels.
“We have also told our students not to walk alone on campus at nights and also report any suspicious movement around them.”
He said all the necessary information for both students and workers to enjoy hitch-free activities are available on the university’s website”,he said.