EIT clarifies stance about online courses for unvaccinated students

EIT's main campus in Taradale. Photo / Warren Buckland

Eastern Institute of Technology (EIT) has clarified its position around online-only courses after announcing students and visitors must be double vaccinated to enter its campuses from February 14.

EIT executive director partnerships and strategic projects Glen Harkness said unvaccinated students would be able to enrol and take part in online-only courses this year.

"Programme by programme we do a risk assessment to work out whether those students [within each programme] would be coming on campus and whether students require double vaccination," Harkness said.

"Where a programme is fully online - we deliver off shore as well - the risk assessment would show that clearly [those students] are not going to come on campus and those students would be exempt from being double vaccinated."

He said risk assessments were currently being carried out by each head of school.

The tertiary education provider has not included information on its website about the impact its policy would have on online-only courses.

Harkness added some programmes offered by EIT included a mix of online learning and on-campus learning, and those programmes would require students to be double vaccinated to take part, as they would need to come on to campus.

He said if a student wanted to inquire about a course they should get in touch with EIT by calling or going online to find out more.

EIT chief executive Chris Collins, in a statement last month announcing its policy, said that they wanted to ensure a safe environment.

Those who hold a valid exemption from the Ministry of Health as well as trades academy (secondary school) students, children enrolled at Ōtātara Children's Centre in Taradale and Manaaki Tamariki in Gisborne, and patients enrolled at the EIT Health Centre are all excluded from the vaccine policy at EIT.