A return to more normal times ahead for Colleges and Universities in British Columbia for September

As the province's COVID vaccination program begins to ramp up, the Provincial Health Officer has sent word to the provinces colleges and universities to prepare for a full return of on-campus education this September.

Since the pandemic took hold of the province one year ago, for the most part Universities and Colleges such as Coast Mountain College had adopted Distance Learning, with students using online methods of study to pursue their education.

On Monday, Anne Kang the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training took note of Doctor Henry's guidance to outline how the process of a return to campus life will move forward.

“This year has been incredibly hard, and I’ve heard from many students, faculty and staff who are eager to return to campus when it is safe. 

That’s why I’m encouraged by Dr. Henry’s advice that a return to in-person instruction can be done safely this fall for all students, staff and faculty. In fact, it’s important to do so for people’s well-being. 

I also know some people will be feeling nervous. Your safety is our top priority. At every step, we’re going to be working with Dr. Henry and all our partners to make sure the right measures are in place to keep people safe."

As they look towards September and the return to campus locations across the province, the blueprint will be found in an expansion of the Go Forward Guidelines, the document that has been in place since February of this year to continue to chart the process of education in the post secondary sector.

“In the coming weeks, we will use that same successful process, working with Dr. Henry’s office, the Steering Committee for the post-secondary COVID-19 Go-Forward Guidelines and experts from across the post-secondary sector to plan for a safe return to in-person learning this fall.  

The guidelines will provide high-level guidance to post-secondary institutions for a safe resumption of on-campus learning. Institutions will then work with their local medical health officer and WorkSafeBC to develop more detailed safety plans for each institution." -- Anne Kang the Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training

More on Monday's announcement can be explored here.

Once the plans for the return to campus are completed, they will be rolled out by the universities and colleges across BC, for Northwest residents you'll be able to learn more as to how Coast Mountain College plans to welcome back its students to campus life from their website and social media feed.

For more notes on education in the Northwest see our archive page here.