Thousands of Students Are Returning Back to TBU
16. September 2020More than ten thousand students are arriving in the town this week to start their classes in the new academic year at various Faculties of Tomas Bata University.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has considerable impact on the classes as well as on the presence of persons inside TBU buildings. Radical hygiene measures must be adopted and recommendations by medical hygienists must be followed.
“Starting from the next week, a maximum of 50 persons will be allowed to attend lectures in person. Lectures scheduled to be attended by more persons will have to be divided to more lecture halls, or online classes will be used,” described Lubomír Beníček, Vice-Rector for Pedagogical Activities. Students as well as teachers already experienced this type of learning and teaching during the last semester. According to Vladimír Sedlařík, TBU Rector, “We are prepared to commence online classes to the full extend, if need be.”
Persons in TBU premises (including the Halls of Residence and Refectory) are obliged to wear respiratory protective equipment and disinfect their hands using sanitizing panels.
At present, a total of 10,201 students are enrolled at Tomas Bata University in Zlín. 3,006 freshmen are starting their first year of Bachelor’s programmes (compared to 3,309 in the last year). Almost 1,500 students have commenced their studies in follow-up Master’s programmes. This year, approximately 9,670 applicants submitted their applications for studies, a total of 7,264 students were admitted to study at TBU.
Also applicants from abroad are interested in studying at TBU. A total of 411 Bachelor’s, Master’s and doctoral international students will start their first year of studies. “There are 1,045 students from abroad studying at the University. Almost 70% of them are from Slovakia. Other international students have come from Russia, Ukraine, Vietnam, India and Ghana,” described Michaela Blahová, Vice-Rector for Internationalization.
Students also had the opportunity to take part in the so-called Get-Together Camp for Freshmen at TBU, an event organized by the Student Union and facilitating social integration of freshmen.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, TBU actively participated in the fight against the disease. Besides the production of face masks and face shields, the ANTI-COVID disinfectant solution was also prepared at the University. More than 46 thousand litres went to the Zlín Region, the Statutory Town of Zlín, charity, social assistance facilities, villages and schools.
