New online learning platform launched

Since the breakout of the coronavirus pandemic in Uganda in March 2020, several sectors including the education sector were heavily affected. As the lockdown on schools kept being extended by President Museveni, a plan b was put in place to ensure that learning didn’t stop.

Different schools devised means of teaching their students online. Unfortunately, there weren’t many platforms in Uganda to support the cause but with time, applications and platforms have been created to enhance this initiative.

The latest person to jump in on the cause is businessman, Hamis Kiggundu who has launched an online learning platform, named Hamz Campus. According to Kiggundu, the platform seeks to eliminate the time constraints or barriers that have affected the learning cycle since the COVID-19 outbreak. “Through the platform, individuals can take ownership and responsibility of their education, without any time constraints. The platform seeks to equip young people with practical soft skills, set the pace of learning they deem best for themselves as well as choose the course they want to study,” says Kiggundu.

Hamz Campus runs through a website and is accessible to learners across the globe. Learners can choose from a catalog of over 5000 courses, including; marketing and sales, career development courses, administrative skills, human resource courses, and personal development courses, among others.

“Education has been a privilege more than a right in many countries. This is the unfortunate reality that people need to deal with, especially today when the world is still battling the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the platform, we believe we are laying a common ground for anyone to access knowledge and skills and this will help to bridge education disparities,” he says.

According to the team behind the development of the platform, educators are sourced from around the world and will be available 24/7. The platform can be accessed by subscription that can be paid annually or monthly, and then the learner can access all available courses. Ham Campus, is one of many innovations the businessman has launched under, Hamz Link Ltd, to tackle the challenges occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Several learning institutions have taken to passing on knowledge to students through online methods since the outbreak of COVID-19. Institutions like Makerere University, Uganda Christian University, and others have all jumped on the ship. Online learning has, however, been criticized by many as being discriminatory as it only favors those with smartphones and access to the internet. Learners in rural areas where internet connectivity is poor are left out. According to the Prime Minister, Robinah Nabanjja, the government will open up physical learning for tertiary schools and universities in November. Lower classes will have to wait until after December when at least 10% of the population has been vaccinated against Covid-19. This revelation was made by President Museveni during his last televised address on Covid-19 a week or so ago.

Mass vaccination is already underway with teachers, health workers, students above 18 years, and security personnel categorized as a priority. Over 600,000 people have been fully vaccinated since the first doses arrived in March - representing just over 1% of the population. It should be recalled that schools were closed in March 2019 and opened briefly last year before closing again due to the second wave of the coronavirus.