Rivers Civil Society Organisation has kicked against plan by the Rivers State University (RSU) to resume its academic activities online.
In a statement signed by its Public Relations Officer, Comrade Solomon Lenu, and made available to newsmen, Rivers Civil Society Organisation said it “condemned” the proposal which would ensure “resumption of academic activities and examination through e-platforms from the 4th day of May, 2020”.
The Rivers Civil Society Organisation said: “To this end, we are condemning this proposition in totality and is using this medium to also call on the state government to prevail on the RSU’s management board to stand down this latest plan”.
The group said no proper test was carried out for the planned e-learning and e-examination, saying that the proposal was hasty.
“Most of these students live in remote, rural or local villages that do not have access to internet connectivity, power supply or cyber café to even say the least, so even though the hardware gadgets were miraculously available, (students)cannot measure up”, the statement said.
The statement also said that e-learning would be additional expenses for parents.
The Civil Society Organisation said: “Most of the parents and guardians of these students depend solely on daily earning from daily activities that have so far been truncated by the stay-at-home directive of government due to Covid-19 and as such may not be able to afford any additional expenses for gadgets as suggested by the school’s management.
“The increment of tuition fee by the former acting VC is still taking its toll on parents and guardians as nearly 50% of Rivers indigenes were still struggling to pay before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic”.
The group said it was not against e-learning and e-exams and said the government should declare “complete tuition-free academic session” and also provide gadgets needed by students.
The group said: “We however call for a halt to the RSU’s plans with regard to e-learning and e-exams while they consult further to come up with more adequate plans and strategy that will be accessible, feasible and durable to all with cognizance to the global challenges we are all faced with today. Anything short of this will be met with stern rejection and criticism until the right thing is done”.
The organisation said that the school’s management should consider inequality among students and prevailing economic situation in its decision to resume university’s academic activities.
