Unisa to administer mid-year exams online for the first time due to lockdown

Vice-chancellor professor Mandla Makhanya says the only difference is that students would be writing exams from their homes.

In an effort to try and save the 2020 academic year, universities have opted to facilitate classes online during the country's national lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The University of South Africa (Unisa) is preparing for mid-year exams which will be administered online.

RELATED: Student organisations slam universities for continuing with online learning

Africa Melane on 702Breakfast chats to the university's vice-chancellor professor Mandla Makhanya to give more information on the school's preparedness for online exams.

The advantage that we have as Unisa is that our students are mainly studying via distance. So by the time we ran into this crisis, our student already had their own study materials that they received from the university.

Professor Mandla Makhanya, Vice-chancellor - Unisa

Unisa students had already exposed to studying by themselves and away from the university campuses, he says.

We were pleasantly surprised that during the first two weeks of the lockdown, we received over a million assignments online which told us that our students are ready for this type of environment that they find themselves in.

Professor Mandla Makhanya, Vice-chancellor - Unisa

For the first time, Unisa students will be writing exams entirely online and Makhanya says students are anxious and are panicking.

I want to tell them to take it easy and relax as the only difference is that they wont find themselves going to the venues, this time they will be writing from home.

Professor Mandla Makhanya, Vice-chancellor - Unisa

Listen below to the full conversation:

More from Information about Covid-19 coronavirus