Our Students Partially Find their Way Back to Face-to-Face Classes

30 April 2021

As of Monday 26 April and the partial lifting of COVID-19 restrictions by the Swiss authorities, students of our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, MAS of Advanced Studies in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law and Executive Master in International Law in Armed Conflict could partially return to class.

This positive development is however far from being a 100 percent back to normal.

‘We have to deal with professors who cannot travel to Switzerland to give their course; professors and students at risk or uncomfortable to go back to in-class teaching; students who decided to go back to their country; as well as limited capacity in classrooms due to social distancing and sanitary measures. As such, our students will continue to follow some courses online while for other courses we will go back to our system of hybrid teaching with courses taught simultaneously in-class and online’ explains Professor Gloria Gaggioli, Director of the Geneva Academy.

‘In any case – whenever possible – we make everything we can to ensure that a maximum number of students can go back to class’ she adds.

This partial lifting also means that our students will be able to meet and work in larger groups, a very positive move, notably in the context of the upcoming end-of the year exams.

The reopening of cafes’ and restaurants’ terraces, sport centers, cinemas and theatres – along with the return of sunny days – also means that our students will have more opportunities to go out and experience the Geneva social life.

‘While we know that the situation is still not ideal, we try to make the best of it. Overall, our students and staff have shown resilience and motivation over these last months! We hope that the ease of the restrictions will help students make the best of their time at the Geneva Academy in such difficult and challenging times’ says Dany Diogo, Coordinator of our Master’s Programmes.