The University of the Western Cape (UWC) has scrapped its end-of-year exams for first- and second-year students, while final-year students will continue to write.

UWC said it was providing off-campus accommodation to some of the estimated 600 final-year and postgraduate students who were scheduled to write their final exams. They were being accommodated at some of the campus residences.

They would also be assisted with transportation to the examination venues.

Exams at the campus have previously been disrupted by violent protests which interrupted the academic year.

Tyhalibongo said the continuous assessment mark would be used as the final mark for the first and second-year students.

“If they want to improve their mark, they can write their exams in January,” he said.

Meanwhile, more than 2 000 students left residences on Thursday following the announcement that the academic year for the first- and second-year students had ended.

“UWC will be closing all its residences today in order to clean, repair and ensure that it adheres to compliance requirements prescribed by the Department of Health,” said Tyhalibongo.

The university had set up a helpline to assist students with travel arrangements back home. For the past three days, the university had also been assisting students who were in need of transport to the airport, and bus and train stations.

Currently about 200 students were still on campus and university officials were assisting them to vacate and depart for home safely. News24