Unam staff, students excited about face-to-face classes

UNIVERSITY of Namibia (Unam) job placement and special programmes officer Angela Naobes says the university has started its face-to-face classes after almost two years of virtual learning.

• JOHN-COLIN NAMENE

and MERCY KARUUOMBE

Both the university’s staff and students are excited to be back on campus, she says.

“We were working from home, so sometimes you get used to the set-up. Now you have to go as a lecturer and stand in front of a big group,” she says.

Naobes says it is a challenge and a new learning mode for staff members too, however, most have missed the students and are happy to be back.

“When we have a bigger group, we try to make it smaller due to Covid-19 regulations so that staff members also feel they are protected,” she says.

The university’s orientation for first-year students started last Wednesday, Naobes says.

Shekupe Ndeuyena (21), a student at the university, says the registration process was fair.

“We did it online, so it was easy and fast. The long queues mostly consisted of first-years who are not familiar with how things work,” she says.

Face-to-face learning has advantages and disadvantages, she says.

“We get to see our lecturers, so we get to bond with them. They get to see your capabilities more, compared to when you interact with them through a device, and we get to understand things better,” Ndeuyena says.

One of the biggest advantages of face-to-face classes is having access to additional facilities and resources, she says.

Ndeuyana says transport is, however, a challenge for those who live far from the university.

Post-graduate Unam student Aina Kauluma says she prefers face-to-face classes, because they are more engaging.

“The transition is not as smooth as I would have hoped it would be, because sometimes timetables are still being altered to accommodate everyone,” she says.

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