A Letter to UEW Management and SRC on the purported deployment of the Online Management System (MOODLE).

A LETTER TO UEW MANAGEMENT AND SRC ON THE PURPORTED DEPLOYMENT OF THE ONLINE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (MOODLE).

          Amidst the uncertainties following the outbreak of the novel Covid-19 Pandemic many countries have rolled out measures to protect and prevent it citizens against the contraction of the novel virus. It is on this targent that the President of the Republic His Excellency Nana Addo Danquah Akuffo Addo on Sunday 15th March, 2020 addressed the nation on the measures his administration was taking to contain the spread of the virus. The President further announced as part of the mesures,the closure of all educational institutions  basics, secondary and tertiary institutions both public and private.
   
 The National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) was then tasked to ensure that all  tertiary institutions roll out an e-learning platforms to ensure the continuation of  academic activities . Persuant to this directives Management of the University of Education on Monday 16th March, 2020 issued a statement of rolling out its academic programs  online through its Learning Management System (LMS). The Vice Chancellor Rev Fr Prof Anthony Afful Broni on the 18th March,2020 further issued directives on UEW contigency plans to use learning management system (LMS) to support teaching and learning during the Covid-19 shutdown period. Surprisingly on Sunday 29th of  March, 2020 Management of UEW issued  statement stating that the Online Management System (MOODLE ) has been fully deployed and students are therefore entreated and expected to log in and access their academic materials and also contact their lecturers, as academic work is expected to continue via the platform.
 
 This impression created by the University Management is a hoax and an illusion.Thus it is worthy to note that greater task has been placed on the various colleges and their respective schools, faculties and departments to come out with innovative ways to execute the policy in their various parameters. Currently no single department has been able to outline the details of how it courses could be accessed on the LMS Moodle* or platform.                   
   Secondly, management of the university has failed to announce the official date the LMS Moodle is going to be operational to facilitate the continuation of the 2019/2020 second  semester academic  activities. The only thing students have been informed is that, the LMS has been fully deployed hence students should access it, meanwhile most of the courses have not yet been uploaded. This development has raised concerns among students  the readiness and effectiveness of the system.
   
Furthermore, it is also prudent to know that management at the moment has not been able to provide the channels and means through which the virtual learning could be materialised; whether it will take the form of video conferences, creation of YouTube channel or the creation of WhatsApp platforms for the  students to access.
 
Lastly , it is worthy to note that majority of students cannot access the LMS Moodle due to the tedious pressure on the system. It is against this backdrop that I write to remind the SRC of its core mandate to ensure that the interest of  students are served without being compromised. It is clear that several public universities are having difficulties with their e-learning platform which their SRC especially UG and KNUST are seriously fighting for revisions in the interest of students. It is of no doubt that the UEW -SRC has lost it relevance  and has proven to be moribund. I therefore write to remind the executives of UEW -SRC that the 2013/14 SRC constitution Article 4 clause (2) states and I quote "the SRCshall present the views of the students of the university to the appropriate bodies depending upon the nature of the matter to help the body or bodies to assess correctly and deal with students needs and problems". It further states and I quote "the SRC shall have the right to appeal to the Academic Board and ultimately to the University Council whose decision shall be final.
   
I therefore call on the  SRC to engage management of the university to take the necessary actions to ensure that students can have access to the virtual learning program so that they take part completely in all the academic activities.  I plead on management to do broader and extensive stakeholders engagement regarding the virtual learning program in order to achieve the ultimate objectives of the program.

       Let us seek quintessence when we connect to that core centre- that pure source of all things; then we begin to really live .

 EVANS OWU JNR
DEP'T OF POLITICAL SCIENCE EDU.
(LEVEL300)