Durban - The University of KwaZulu-Natal is to make laptops compulsory for first year students next year but will provide the technology to those who are financially aided.
However, some within student leadership have expressed concern over the move.
The move comes after the university adopted an open source learning platform, Moodle, which aims at “maximising teaching and learning” by storing reading material in a centralised system. The university said the application would be in place for the next three years.
Students will no longer be required to pay lecture notes fees – which are paid for copyright reasons – amounting to, at least, R2 000 a year per student, according to one student representative.
A document signed by the university’s chief information officer, Richard Jansen, detailed how staff and students would be given discounts of up to R3 500 by the national initiative called the Student Technology Programme (STP), which is rolling out affordable deals at public universities.
Howard College SRC president Zamokuhle Manqele expressed delight at the initiative.
University spokesman, Lesiba Seshoka, said the initiative was being driven by the STP which offers affordable tablets and laptops to staff and students at public universities.
“The university has been planning and preparing for the roll-out of the STP initiative for more than two years. It was deferred by a year to consider all the implications and to enable implementation,” he said.
“Students enrolling in first and second year modules will no longer pay for lecture notes. The cost of investing in a laptop will off-set the cost of lecture notes over a three to four- year undergraduate degree period.
“In 2016, Student Support Services will facilitate funding for new students and second year students, who receive NSFAS, to purchase a laptop,” Seshoka said. He said half of the students at the university already owned laptops and said the university had wireless connectivity at campuses, lecture theatres and at student residences. He said the university would continue to allow access to computer LANS (local area network).
Pietermaritzburg SRC finance and projects deployee, Ntuthuko Ngubane, complained the roll-out of laptops would result in fewer students being accommodated by the university’s financial aid scheme allocation.
“There are existing LANS which need to be upgraded, sometimes you find computers that don’t work there, why don’t we fix them? Moodle is going to break the relationship between student and lecturer because everything is going to be done on screen now,” he said.
Manqele was more welcoming of the initiative, but said the university should facilitate the roll-out for all first years – not just those on the financial aid scheme.
“Our only problem is that we already spend about R2 000 on lecture notes, all new students must get this. It makes sense because the whole campus has wi-fi, so it will be easier for students,” he said.
Daily News
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