By DOH JAMES SONKEY
Officials of the Information and Communications Technology University, better known as ICT University Cameroon have recommended e-learning as the best option in the fight against Coronavirus and for students to avoid missing lectures.
The piece of advice was dished out to parents and students last February 19, 2020 at the Messasi neighbourhoods’ campus of the university in Yaounde during a chat with reporters.
On how e-learning contributes to maintaining the burning flames of the educational system and at the same time contributing to the fight against Coronavirus, the Technology Officer of the ICT University Cameroon, Tani Schmidt Paul explained that “If you are afraid to go out and attend lectures because of COVID 19, or if you are a worker who cannot be physically present in class due to busy schedule at work, then ICT University is the best institution that suits your expectations because of its live e-learning system.”
He went on that, “The system we offer here is a hybrid one where we integrate both the onsite and online students. They study simultaneously in real time. We have both physical and e-libraries in order to satisfy our students both at home or on campus. During e-learning there is a platform which they use to communicate on the white board, defence, conferences for interaction between instructors and learners.”
Another official explained that “With ICT University, distance is not a barrier in learning because our teachers are in Cameroon, Nigeria, India, the UK and America. Our online platform is as rapid as the offline learning system with the only difference that you can only see the instructor but you cannot touch him.”
They concluded with a piece of advice that “let all those who do not love their jobs come to us and take fresh training to better their knowledge and gain a new one.”
Commonly referred to as the American University in Yaounde, the ICT University Cameroon was created by Prof Mbarika in 2012 to operate a purely US-based curriculum in order to provide quality ICT and Managerial Human Capacity Development training targeted for Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia. It is said to have already graduated more than 400 students.
The American based university lecturer, Prof Mbarika first started the ICT University concept in India before taking it to Cameroon and other African countries so as to empower youths with ICT training.