Chief Information Technology Officer at the University of Ghana, Lucas Chigabatia, says that over 3,000 courses being run by the University have successfully been migrated onto the Sakai Learning Management System.

This is ahead of the commencement of virtual learning for students of the University as the university is closed following a directive from President Akufo-Addo in a bid to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The University has planned for academic activities to begin online on Monday, 30th March 2020.

In view of that, the management of the University disclosed that it had reached an agreement with Vodafone Ghana to enable students to access the university’s online learning platform at zero charges.

However, students of the University, since this decision was announced, have pushed against it, with some calling for it to be aborted.

Initially, students were asked to visit any Vodafone Ghana outlet across the country to pick a new SIM to be able to enjoy the package.

However, speaking on Campus Exclusive on Thursday, March 26, Mr. Chigabatia clarified that students who were already Vodafone subscribers could still use their old cards.

He added that students, who were non-Vodafone users could still access the platform but will have to pay standard data charges.

Mr. Chigabatia also mentioned that the University was working on getting other telecommunication networks on board to provide free access to students.

“Vodafone has come forward and made the offer to allow our students to be able to connect at no data cost. If any of the other telcos come forward and make a provision for free access to our academic resources, we will offer to the students. You can connect using MTN, Glo, Airtel but what that means is that you will have to bear the cost.”

In view of reports in Accra that some students were teeming at some various Vodafone outlets for SIM cards, Mr. Chigabatia stressed that only non-Vodafone users were to get a SIM to enjoy the free access to the online learning platform.

“You don’t need to go anywhere, what you need to do is to log on to our portal and provide your details. If you are not a Vodafone subscriber, then you need to a [Vodafone] SIM card. Those are the ones that have to go and pick the SIM card,” he reiterated.

Academic activities at the University of Ghana, March 30 – May 15, will be undertaken online.

However, this may change if the university opens before May 15.