Official channels include LMS announcements, discussion forums, DMs on LMS, and email.
They are preferred over WhatsApp/Telegram groups because they help the course run fairly, clearly, and in a way the University can recognise and regulate.
In practical terms, official channels:
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are the channels recognised for teaching and learning communication, unlike most social media messaging groups which are not formally approved for course administration;
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create a clear academic record (who said what, when, and where), which reduces confusion and helps resolve disputes;
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make it easier to identify participants properly (real names, matric numbers) and to control who can post or access information;
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reduce distractions because course messages are not mixed with unrelated chats, forwards, and side conversations;
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keep information organised by topic and week (announcements stay in one place, forums stay under the relevant topic, and DMs stay private);
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reduce the risk of losing information, since course files and instructions are stored in a structured way on the LMS rather than depending on whether someone downloaded them early enough;
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support fairness, because all students can access the same official message, rather than relying on who is present in a private group chat;
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protect privacy better by avoiding the pressure to share phone numbers or join unofficial groups; and
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help continuity, because new students or students who rejoin after an absence can find past announcements and instructions easily, instead of searching through long chat histories.