Yogyakarta, June 3rd 2020 –Since the end to Covid-19 is nowhere in sight, Gadjah Mada University (UGM) released some regulations on academic activities for four semesters. This regulation covers the topic of university activity, university access and services, student activity, as well as some regulation for new students. UGM’s regulation is divided to three phases; The Emergency Response Phase, The Recovery Phase, and the New Normal Phase.
The Emergency Response Phase will be conducted throughout the second semester of the 2019/2020 school year as well as the first semester of the 2020/2021 school year. Until July 2020, access to the university will be restricted and all academic activities are held online, including practicums. All services, student’s activity, and social work will be held online. This ban does not apply to health services. Other than to prevent the spread of Covid-19, remote online learning is meant to strengthen UGM’s vision to become a digital campus.
Those regulations will be loosened on August 2020 until January 2021. UGM plans to open the access to the university with certain regulations and restrictions. University student can come back to the university on September by following a strict protocol which includes health check-up before entering the building, using a mask, and abiding to physical distancing. However, the university operational time will be limited from 8 am to 5 pm. The university activity will be held with a blended learning concept which means that around 60% of activities will be held online. However, professors that are more than 60 years old is advised to conduct their teaching online.
The orientation of new students is set to be conducted online on 7-12 September 2020, meanwhile the inauguration is planned to be held in real life. More information about the orientation process will be posted on the official web (https://ppsmb.ugm.ac.id). Registration for new students, re-registration, and tuition adjustment will be conducted online.
Next, the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Phase will be held on the second semester of the 2020/2021 school year, which is from February 2021 to July 2021. The university will be opened according to health protocols that is expected to be followed by all students, professors, and staffs. UGM plans to conduct this phase slowly while adjusting to the condition in the future. Other than that, practicums and field practices will be conducted according to health protocols.
The final phase is the New Normal Phase which will happen on the first semester of the 2021/2022 school year. UGM plans to implement a new health protocol that can support university activities fully. In this phase, the university can open up until 9 pm and other facilities can be accessed. With the new health protocol, student’s activity and social work can be conducted as per usual. Additionally, the blended learning protocol will be changed to allow 40% of the academic activity to be conducted online. It is hoped that at that point the situation will be much better so that the implementation of the plan can be optimal.
Based on that guide, UGM advices each Faculty to prepare the following academic year and to socialize this regulation to teachers/professors. Faculty members is also allowed to make their own adjustment so that they can better support the academic activities.