C. K Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences has developed an App to control the spread of Coronavirus.

The university in Navrongo developed the App to help track students and control the spread of the virus on its campus.

The app called ‘Link Up’ was developed by the school’s Information Communication Technology department and allows students to interact with school management on issues bordering their academic work and especially help report likely symptoms of the COVID-19 for immediate medical attention as school resumes.

The acting Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Albert Luguterah, who disclosed to Senyalah Castro in an interview when he visited the University to assess its preparedness to receive students following the President’s directive to reopen tertiary schools for final year students, said some of the school’s protocols for managing the students were considered in the development of the App.

Prof. Luguterah said the invention of the App is part of efforts by the management to prevent the viral infection among students. He added that the App has details of all students which makes it very easy to use. He encouraged the student body to utilize it to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus on the campus.

“The App was developed by the ICT department of the school with the student IDs incorporated into it and it allows students to chat with their head of departments, you can chat with your faculty, hall tutors, etc. on any issue at all, particularly if you are not feeling well. You just let us know or if you have somebody else on the campus who is showing symptoms of the virus, you can quickly let us know and we’ll track them”. He said.

Speaking on other measures put in place to prevent the spread of the virus, Prof. Luguterah said the school has reduced the number of students per room in the hostel facilities on the campus. He said unlike the traditional four, two students would now be allocated a room.

“The hostels that the students are staying in, we’ve tried to keep a maximum of two students in a room. But for now, they are one in a room because we don’t have too many students. But if all of them come, we are looking at a maximum of two in a room”. Prof. Luguterah revealed.

Prof. Luguterah said the school was yet to receive its allocation of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) given by the government. He said their allocation is part of what was given to the University for Development (UDS) and it was their hope to receive the PPEs soon to help them fight the spread of the viral pandemic in the school. He also lamented the weak financial position of the University.

The acting Vice-Chancellor lauded Zoomlion Ghana Limited for fumigating the school campus.

Meanwhile, when the team visited the campus on the second day of reopening, it was observed that very few students had arrived. The team gathered that majority of the students who had arrived are those who had practical examinations to write.

President of the Student Representative Council (SRC), Raymond Korbla Otivi, in an interview, said the majority of the students preferred the option of the online examination rather thanreturning to campus.

He said even though sitting for the online examination came with its challenges such as poor internet services, the students saw it as a better option than risking their lives. He expressed doubts that more students would return to campus.

The university authorities have given the students two weeks to prepare for the examinations which will take another two weeks.