UG: ‘Modular system likely to be cancelled next academic year’ – SRC Academic Affairs C’ttee Head

Head of the University of Ghana SRC Academic Affairs Committee, Abdul Salaam Mohammed, has hinted that the modular system may be phased out in the next academic year.

He noted that the SRC has been in close engagement with university authorities to discuss some of the challenges and difficulties students have encountered since the introduction of the modular system.

Speaking at the UG SRC forum held on Tuesday, June 1, at the SRC Union Building, Abdul Mohammed said management is confident that beginning the 2021/2022 academic year, students would enjoy the usual semester period.

“On Thursday (27th June 2021), we engaged the Academic Affairs Director and in the meeting, a lot of things came up, one of which was the likelihood that they were going to cancel the double-track system."

"And for that matter, the next academic year, hopefully, would be a normal 13 or 12 weeks academic semester like we use to have; which I am very happy about,” he said.

In September 2020, the Business and Executive Committee of the Academic Board of the university approved the modular system for teaching and learning.

This was to limit interaction amongst members of the community due to C0vid-19 and also to mitigate the residential challenges.

Abdul Salaam was quick to acknowledge that there may be challenges in adapting to the system since “we just had a very rapid shift from normal system to the modular system and back to the normal system.”

He added that changes in the academic calendar were inevitable and may go a long way to even affect the mandatory national service tertiary graduates are to undertake.

Probed on the guarantee of the phasing out of the modular system by Azumah Mutala, Vice President of Public Administration Health Service, Abdul Salaam said “take my word for it, I would do whatever I can in my capacity for it to be cancelled.”

Students concerns

Various students’ representatives present took turns to voice out their concerns about the challenges of their constituents and what they believed was the way forward.

Acting UG SRC President, Kwame Amo Ntow Fianko, promised to take into consideration all matters raised at the forum and table a proposal to university management to reconsider online teaching and learning.

Demonstration Threats

Some students who were not pleased with the proactiveness of UG SRC and the university management threatened to embark on a demonstration if their grievances are not resolved.

They listed among other things poor Wi-Fi connectivity, regular breakdown of Sakai, indifferent attitude of lecturers towards students, numerous assignment which do not give room for personal studies and other problems associated with online teaching and learning.

The student leaders were encouraged to use the appropriate channels to get their demands met.