A Message to our Students: How We’re Developing our Campus Re-Opening Strategy

We’re planning for necessary alterations to our campus operations to ensure the health and safety of our community.

Dear students,

Amidst the uncertainty, please rest assured that Davis College will create a path for you to successfully complete your studies. While 2020 was supposed to be a year of celebrations for our ten year anniversary, the Coronavirus pandemic forced us to postpone our plans. With every challenge comes an opportunity. This has enabled us to innovate and focus more on what’s most important: you, East Africa’s change makers.

We still have much to celebrate. We have seized the opportunity to unite as a community of learners and emerge stronger than before. Our culture of innovation, servant leadership, and growth mindset has prepared us to navigate this season. This is our collective superpower.

Our team has worked tirelessly to recreate the Akilah experience in a virtual environment and to design new online programs. You can trust that we will be by your side every step of the way in the coming academic year. We are more dedicated than ever to ensuring your time at Davis College and Akilah is precious and impactful.

As students, you have gone above and beyond to continue your studies since campus closed. We are inspired by your resiliency and passion as you thrive in your distance learning courses. Thank you all.

The impact of the pandemic will be felt for years as economies recover and rebuild. The future may look unfamiliar. New jobs and industries will emerge. You have the opportunity to rise as leaders during the crisis. As a society, we need you: you are the next generation of leaders and your education is crucial. Your skills and knowledge will equip you to navigate the complexity of a post-pandemic world.

Akilah students, you have an important responsibility to welcome our first male students who are joining the co-ed section of Davis College in August. While Akilah remains a unique environment for female leaders, we strive to replicate our culture code in the co-ed community. The new students will look up to you as campus leaders.

Imagining a Physically Distanced Campus

We are grateful for the extraordinary leadership of the Government of Rwanda and the swift and decisive action to contain the virus.

We will follow the guidelines from the Government to safely reopen and welcome you back to campus while maintaining the highest health standards.

However, if the Government of Rwanda determines it is not safe for schools to meet face-to-face, we guarantee an intellectually exciting online experience, including virtual extracurricular activities and gatherings. We have prepared multiple plans for the coming year.

“The version of school we’ll most likely return to this year won’t be anything like it was before. With all the required protocols and considerations for social distancing during a global pandemic, schools may look a little like hospitals. Nonetheless, we must carry forward.”

-Brandon Busteed, Forbes

We are not alone in navigating uncharted territory. 1.2 billion students have been impacted by school closures. There is not clear scientific consensus on the process for reopening schools. We are studying best practices in countries that have begun reopening, potential scenarios, and the challenges such as South Korea’s opening and re-closure after an increase in cases.

We are working with global experts to develop our reopening strategy and plan for the necessary alterations to our campus operations to ensure health and safety. We can expect changes in the way we operate and in what might be expected in our daily routines.

We look forward to sharing more soon. Here’s a brief overview of what measures could be taken.

Reopening Goals

  1. Ensure physical and emotional healthy and safety of our students and staff

  2. Ensure continuity of high quality, market-relevant, and personalized education for all students

  3. Comply with Government of Rwanda policies and global best practices for safe campus operations in a COVID-19 context

  4. Live out the values of our culture code

Infrastructure

  • Consistent adherence to physical distancing rules

  • Control the traffic and flow in tight corridors

  • Close campus for deep cleaning and recovery if there is a confirmed COVID case

  • Reorganize larger spaces, including the Akilah Cafe, to accommodate necessary additional classroom spaces

  • A “Grab & Go” stand will operate from the patio with outdoor seating

Health and behavioral norms

  • Hand washing and temperature checks upon entry to campus

  • Trainings for staff and students on health protocols and best practices

  • Frequent sanitization and deep cleaning of physical spaces

  • Hand sanitizer and additional washing stations to allow for necessary hand hygiene

  • Providing personal protective equipment, such as face masks, gloves and medical mask to staff attending the Sick Bay / Quarantine Area

Scheduling and staffing

  • Schedules that will allow various classes to start and finish at different times to reduce the number of students on campus and to minimize contact during transition periods

  • Maximum number of students in a classroom does not exceed 50% of the classroom capacity to allow for physical distancing

  • Continued emphasis on blended learning that combines campus and online modules

  • Suspend non-essential activities on campus

  • Social gatherings and group study will not take place on campus and should be achieved in a virtual setting

Student Support

  • Providing support for students’ social and emotional (SEL) needs

  • Assessing the need for additional trauma counseling services

  • Regular focus groups with students, faculty, and parents to answer questions and gain insight

While we can study the plans of other institutions, there is no one-size-fits-all plan. All educators must be committed to adaptability and flexibility as we navigate unprecedented challenges.

We must be incredibly cautious as there is a higher risk that schools can become potential nodes of virus spread. Your behavior and adherence to guidelines is paramount to the safety of our community, especially staff, and relatives who are 50+ years of age or immunocompromised.

Just like everyone else, we are doing this for the first time. We appreciate your insights and feedback. We must do everything possible to ensure a safe learning environment. Together, we can prevent the unnecessary devastation that has tragically occurred in other parts of the world.

Tuition and Finances

70% of the Davis College budget is funded by individual donors and family foundations. 30% is from tuition. Thus, every student receives significant scholarship support to offset the real cost of your education.

Donations have dropped significantly due to the global financial crisis, and we’ve been forced to make painful budget cuts and salary reductions. While some costs have been lowered during the campus closure, others have risen sharply with the transition to online and preparations for a socially distanced campus.

The lockdown caused financial challenges for our institution, as well as families across the region, and we hope that the extension of Trimester 3 tuition payments will alleviate some financial pressure.

We are firmly committed to affordability and accessibility, and offering transformational high-quality education to all students.

Class of 2020

In accordance with Ministry of Education requirements, your current Trimester 3 distance learning efforts will be reinforced with additional face-to-face classes when campus reopens in September. A detailed schedule will be provided in August.

Your internship experience remains an essential part of your diploma requirements. Our Careers team is eager to assist with identifying internship opportunities with our partners so that internships can be completed by December 2020. We are looking forward to celebrating you at your class’s graduation ceremony in 2021!

Class of 2021

In accordance with Ministry of Education requirements, your current Trimester 3 distance learning efforts will be reinforced with additional face-to-face classes when campus reopens in September. Your second academic year will begin in October 2020. A detailed schedule will be provided in August. Assuming schools are allowed to remain open, we are targeting to conclude the academic year in August/September 2021.

Class of 2022

Our new intake of students will start their online Orientation on August 3rd followed by online Bridge courses. The schedule will be shared the week of July 27th, and the academic calendar will be released in August. After Bridge courses conclude, diploma courses will start, currently projected for October 12th. Assuming schools are allowed to remain open, we are targeting to conclude the academic year in August/September 2021.

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