SUSANNA ANBU
A project to start an exclusive DSTV channel (UPtv) for the University of Pretoria (UP) as part of the shift towards online learning has been cancelled. The channel was scheduled to launch on 27 April on Channel 950, however, communication sent out by Professor Norman Duncan, vice principal of academics, cited the inability to produce sufficient material for the channel as reason for the revocation. Initially, deans of faculties were encouraged to mobilise their respective faculties to generate content for UPtv.
Staff members who were interested in participating in the project had been directed to fill in a Google form, and were referred to an instruction document that stipulated a guide to follow when creating the videos for the channel. The videos would then have been scheduled to air on the channel seven days subsequent to the uploading of the video on a collective Google drive. Prof. Duncan asserted that “in view of the reputational risk that the university would be exposed to should [the university] proceed with this endeavour without the assurance of a regular supply of suitable material”, the decision to cancel the initiative was formulated.
Susanna is currently stu(dying) genetics and joined the PDBY team in 2019. She divides her time between writing and playing with plant disease samples. Her contributions span across Science, politics and all things spicy. If you are or were in the SRC, she’s probably spammed you with messages for a story. She’s got a memory like an elephant – so she probably keeps track of student promises. Picture not to scale.
