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Herald Correspondent
Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) has become the first tertiary institution to resume lectures, with 1 000 final year students having returned to the institution after President Mnangagwa gave the green light for universities to  reopen.

The university’s reopening plan was assessed and approved by the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Child Care.

Secretary for Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development Professor Fanuel Tagwira said it was up to university senates and councils to decide when to resume operations.

“The nitty-gritty of how the universities will operate after reopening depends on each institution as circumstances at these institutions are different but for colleges, there is no one size fits all regarding resumption of lessons,” he said.

CUT director of marketing and public relations, Dr Musekiwa Tapera said the institution was abiding by the Ministry of Health and Child Care and World Health Organisation’s (WHO) guidelines.

“We opened our doors on June 1 to at least 1 100 registered level 4.2’s and 5.2’s who are also final year students and the university is fully prepared to implement the WHO and Ministry of Health and Child Care Covid-19 combat guidelines to protect our valued students, the CUT community and Chinhoyi town at large,” he said.

Dr Tapera also said the students were provided with hand sanitisers and washable face masks on arrival, with mandatory temperature checks being done at the main gate, teaching venues and  canteen.

“We have since activated our Campus Protection Service Unit to do mandatory compliance checks on all university community members and we have also set up a health and safety task force internally that is closely monitoring the situation daily.

“The internal task force also liaises with the provincial Inter-ministerial task force on Cobvid-19.”

When The Herald visited the institution’s main campus yesterday, security guards at the main gate, lecture rooms, hostels and administration blocks were checking temperatures and sanitising everyone as a precautionary measure while all students had face masks.

The students applauded the institution for supplying them with face masks and alcohol-based hand sanitisers and beefing up security at hostels.