Mpendulo Ndlovu, second-year Plant Production student and student mentor.
“COVID-19 has affected my university lifestyle. I am a sporty person: I love jogging and playing soccer. Now I wake up, eat, do the dishes, watch TV, catch up with studies and finish up assignments before going to bed. I feel like a couch potato. I’ve resorted to doing workouts from an app I downloaded.
I’m a second year Plant Production student, so I’m a pre-farmer. I do backyard farming to put theory into practice. It also keeps me busy. Just yesterday I was doing transplanting. I’m having fun in my garden!
I miss campus because there's unlimited Wi-Fi connectivity. The free data we currently receive gives us access to Moodle and the university’s online library. At first, I struggled with studying at home but quickly realised that I had to find a way to make it work. I’m the kind of person who prefers going to the library and using the computer labs. I have adapted to online learning and am coping very well now.
I stay in touch with lecturers and fellow students via Facebook and WhatsApp. I’d love to finish my diploma and have my grandmother accompany me to my graduation ceremony.”
First-year student Mangaliso Myeza is still getting used to online studying.
Mangaliso Myeza, first-year Bachelor of Administration student.
“As a first-year student, I had just come to varsity and was adapting to how it differs to high school when the pandemic struck. I had hardly had time to adjust to university life, especial online learning.
Although it is tough and I don’t find the home environment conducive to learning, I do find ways to make it work. I schedule my learning for the evenings when I know it will be quiet. I go through the slides, refer to the textbooks for more clarity, and make my own notes.
My only problem is setting up a routine and keeping up with the time I have dedicated for studying. I’d like to maintain the same pace and energy as I did when I was in high school. I push myself to work hard knowing that I'll achieve good results, which will allow me to move closer to my goal of finishing my degree in record time.
During the lockdown I keep in contact with lecturers through our fellow class representative, which is very helpful. I also keep up with friends via WhatsApp to catch up on our work. So far, the university and our lecturers are doing very well in updating us with the relevant information.”
Class representative Neo Mokoena ensures that other learners in her class understands the tasks.
Neo Mokoena, second-year Bachelor of Arts student.
“This whole situation has made me aware of how important my education is. The lockdown is a good plan for the country but difficult for students as we are home and have limited resources to tackle our schoolwork.
Though we do have access to lecturers and can ask questions through discussion forums and emails, it’s not quite the same as face-to-face interaction, which we are used to.
Studying at home is not that easy but I have implemented a schedule: I wake up, gym for an hour, do my chores and later when everybody has gone to sleep, I study. I dedicate at least two hours covering two to three chapters a day.
As a class representative it is my role to check up on other students to ensure they understand the tasks. If they have a problem I email the lecturer about the student’s concerns.
For my individual learning I mostly communicate with lecturers. After every chapter, I make it my plan to answer the questions given by the lecturers and forward my answers to make sure I understand the work. I also keep in touch with friends every day to check up on them and make sure they are on track with their work.”
Eugenia Mavundla keeps in contact with other students and lecturers.
Eugenia Mavundla, Honours student.
“My plans for 2020 have been disrupted as I could not graduate on time. This has, however, motivated me to continue with my Honours degree.
Studying at home is a challenge because it’s difficult to focus when my family members are busy with their own activities and sometimes there is too much noise.
What gives me hope is that at the end of the day I am the one who registered for postgraduate studies and it is actually my job to make sure that I finish my degree. It gives me great hope that the university has assured us that we’ll be given an opportunity to graduate in future.
I keep in contact with lecturers through a WhatsApp group. The same applies to my friends and I. We communicate every day.”
Third-year student Beauty Makgeru is hopeful that campus will open soon.
Beauty Makgeru, third-year Development Studies student.
“This is my final year and I want to make the most of it. COVID-19 is not going to stop me from realising my dreams. I lost my parents at a very young age and life wasn't easy for me. Education is my only ticket out of poverty. Giving up is not an option.
My plan is to graduate next year but with all the COVID-19 disruptions, I feel it's going to be difficult for me to complete this year. My biggest challenge is studying at home because I live in an area with very poor connectivity and accessing online learning is sometimes a problem.
Even though I do keep in contact with friends and lecturers via email, I hope that we will be able to go back to campus soon.”
Hlengiwe Zulu is writing her research from home with the assistance of a supervisor.
Hlengiwe Patronella Zulu, Masters student.
“I am writing my research at home. However, I am doing it at a slow pace. I am in contact with my supervisor as she is helping me with my research. I’ve created a schedule that allows me to dedicate time towards my responsibilities at home and my studies. It's not easy but I try to stick to the schedule as best as I can.
The lockdown has forced me to change the way I’m used to learning: studying on campus, where there's unlimited Wi-Fi. However, I use the money that I receive from my Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship to buy data bundles so I can be able to download information needed for my research.
I constantly check the university’s email account to get important information regarding news from school. I also keep myself occupied by reading novels, African literature and magazines.
I find hope and strength from the Word of God, prayer, being with family and checking positive news. Family provides enough support that keeps me in the right state of mind and my spirituality allows me to have a positive outlook in the midst of this bad situation.”
@ Story by Lisa Thabethe. Pictures supplied by students.