Monday, 20 April

20 April 2020
 

17:45

On Monday, 20 April, the University of Cape Town’s students began a week of online orientation to prepare for the start of the second term on 28 April.

Our plan uses all of UCT’s investments in technology, infrastructure and expertise.

Please help us by supporting them in this important phase.

Students with questions about emergency remote learning should contact their faculty supervisors, course lecturers and tutors via email and Vula.

We have reached agreements with all four of South Africa’s major mobile service providers for zero-rated access to university online platforms.

This week we will begin providing data bundles to all students with valid South African cell numbers, along with the delivery of laptop computers on loan to qualifying students. We will also distribute printed learning materials and USB drives to students who can’t access the internet in any form.

UCT is invested in getting every student through this difficult period, both academically and emotionally. We will continue to assess what works, identify problems and develop solutions.

Read the VC’s email to parents, guardians and sponsors.


12:30

The University of Cape Town (UCT) leadership and senior management teams are working actively to ensure support for the postgraduate community. While the university does not have all the answers, it is working hard to develop plans to support you and your research. Here are a number of developments thus far:

  • Taught programmes: Taught postgraduate degrees and diplomas are now either ready to go online or already online. The orientation week that started on Monday, 20 April, has been designed to give everyone the opportunity to adjust to these new delivery modes. Please contact your course convener or the department’s postgraduate administrator if you have not received communication on your programme going online or if you have difficulty with online access and taking part in academic activities.
  • Research degrees: Postgraduates involved in research degrees are advised to contact their supervisors. Some of you will have limited access because your supervisor is actively working in the frontlines of this pandemic. The university is working with faculties to ensure there are solutions.
  • International postgraduates: Please note that UCT’s International Office is playing an active role in the relevant working groups and the specific challenges faced by our international postgraduates are on the agenda.
  • Resources for working remotely: Please ensure that you have completed the UCT Student Access Survey so that the university can identify the laptop needs of South African students and gauge the connectivity and ability of postgraduates to do academic work in their home environments. UCT has also secured zero-rated academic sites with Telkom and Cell C and negotiations continue with MTN and Vodacom.
  • Fees and funding: UCT is actively looking for paths to address, where possible, the many concerns voiced around fees and funding. Answers will be communicated as soon as possible.
  • NRF postgraduate funding call: The 2021 National Research Foundation (NFR) postgraduate funding call has opened. There are many changes in this call for 2021 and it is important to note that the UCT internal deadline is the one you need to work towards.

Read the DVC’s Desk.


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UCT’s response to COVID-19

COVID-19 is a global pandemic that caused President Cyril Ramaphosa to declare a national disaster in South Africa on 15 March 2020 and to implement a national lockdown from 26 March 2020. UCT is taking the threat of infection in our university community extremely seriously, and this page will be updated with the latest COVID-19 information. Please note that the information on this page is subject to change depending on current lockdown regulations.

Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, has in June 2022 repealed some of South Africa’s remaining COVID-19 regulations: namely, sections 16A, 16B and 16C of the Regulations Relating to the Surveillance and the Control of Notifiable Medical Conditions under the National Health Act. We are now no longer required to wear masks or limit gatherings. Venue restrictions and checks for travellers coming into South Africa have now also been removed.

In July 2022, the University of Cape Town (UCT) revised its approach to managing the COVID-19 pandemic on UCT campuses in 2022.
Read the latest document available on the UCT policies web page.

 

Campus communications

 
2022

Adjusting to our new environment 16:50, 23 June 2022
VC Open Lecture and other updates 17:04, 13 April 2022
Feedback from UCT Council meeting of 12 March 2022 09:45, 18 March 2022
UCT Council
March 2022 graduation celebration 16:45, 8 March 2022
Report on the meeting of UCT Council of 21 February 2022 19:30, 21 February 2022
UCT Council
COVID-19 management 2022 11:55, 14 February 2022
Return to campus arrangements 2022 11:15, 4 February 2022

UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre

On Wednesday, 20 July, staff from the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Health Sciences came together with representatives from the Western Cape Government at the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre at Forest Hill Residence to acknowledge the centre’s significance in the fight against COVID-19 and to thank its staff for their contributions. The centre opened on 1 September 2021 with the aim of providing quality vaccination services to UCT staff, students and the nearby communities, as well as to create an opportunity for medical students from the Faculty of Health Sciences to gain practical public health skills. The vaccination centre ceased operations on Friday, 29 July 2022.

With the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.

 

“After almost a year of operation, the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, located at the Forest Hill residence complex in Mowbray, will close on Friday, 29 July 2022. I am extremely grateful and proud of all staff, students and everyone involved in this important project.”
– Vice-Chancellor Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng

With the closure of the UCT Community of Hope Vaccination Centre, if you still require access to a COVID-19 vaccination site please visit the CovidComms SA website to find an alternative.


Thank You UCT Community

Frequently asked questions

 

Global Citizen Asks: Are COVID-19 Vaccines Safe & Effective?

UCT’s Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine (IDM) collaborated with Global Citizen, speaking to trusted experts to dispel vaccine misinformation.



If you have further questions about the COVID-19 vaccine check out the FAQ produced by the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation (DTHF). The DTHF has developed a dedicated chat function where you can ask your vaccine-related questions on the bottom right hand corner of the website.

IDM YouTube channel | IDM website
 

 

“As a contact university, we look forward to readjusting our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in 2023 as the COVID-19 regulations have been repealed.”
– Prof Harsha Kathard, Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning

We are continuing to monitor the situation and we will be updating the UCT community regularly – as and when there are further updates. If you are concerned or need more information, students can contact the Student Wellness Service on 021 650 5620 or 021 650 1271 (after hours), while staff can contact 021 650 5685.

 

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