Ensuring all-round student wellbeing during the Covid-19 pandemic, with innovative Prevent Protect Cure
The Covid-19 pandemic has not only severely impacted the economy and society in Thailand, but has also gravely impacted Thai education. Higher Education institutions had to care for the wellbeing of their students to ensure their safety in these times.
Chulalongkorn University has utilised a concept called “CU shelter-in-place” to ensure that the university provides a “Safe Zone” for over 37,000 students by working through this crisis with its own innovation “Prevent, Protect, and Cure”. Additionally, the implementation measurement to care for the holistic wellbeing of students includes:
1. Health and Well-being Management through the innovative “Chula Covid-19 Strip Test Service” that screens students who are at risks. This strip test service was developed from one of Chula’s startups, aiming to care for students and reducing the panic and risk of infection from visiting hospitals. In addition, the “CU V Care” project has managed to create over 100 resting rooms within the university to help isolate at risk students, people recovering from Covid-19, and Patient Under Investigation or PUI. All of this is free of charge alongside with counselling sessions provided by Chula Student Wellness and the Center for Psychological Wellness.
2. Work From Home (WFH), Live & Mobility concept has allowed students to consistently study and work from home via the online platform. Distributing university sim cards and over 100 Sharing Economy laptops provided by Chula Alumni has helped students who are deprived of online learning equipment.
3. CU COVID-19 Communication concept has successfully with students via online platform “Chula knowledge, fighting COVID-19’ and mobile application ‘CUNex’. The platform objective is to provide news updates as well as do’s and don’ts. This is to help students cope with the crisis, and are able to request additional support from the university.
Moreover, Chulalongkorn University is also concerned with the financial welfare of its students, and has therefore announced the “10+” and “10++” policy. This policy reduces educational fees in every faculty by 10 percent as well as introducing over 5000 bursaries covering all categories. With an accumulated budget totalled of 500 million baht, Chula has been able to aid students and families that have been affected by the Covid-19 virus as well as providing refund 50 percent of dormitory fees for students that wish to return to their homes and Covid-19 insurance for all 37,000 Chula students.
In conclusion, the implementation is to look out for the wellbeing of students under “Prevent Protect Cure”, which Chulalongkorn University has arranged for its students during the Covid-19 pandemic adhering to CU Shelter-in-place concept.
BY Office of Student Affairs, Chulalongkorn University
