Three major IITs to conduct e-classes; Delhi campus may open only in December

NEW DELHI: At least three major IITs — Bombay, Madras and Delhi — have decided to scrap face-to-face lectures for the upcoming semester in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.
All their programmes will be offered ‘purely in online mode’, to ensure the safety and well-being of students. Most IITs will not open their gates to students for the first semester of 2020-21 and will hold classes online or permit a semester or a year drop. IIT-Delhi may only call students to the campus in December. The institute is likely to abide by a report on post Covid-19 strategy prepared by a sub-committee of six IITs. The report, submitted to the Standing Committee of IIT Council (SCIC) on June 15, and accessed by TOI, had suggested that the UG admissions should be as per JEE schedule where the selection process and interviews will be online and all newly-admitted students will start the programme in December 2020-January 2021 timeframe.
The report has suggested that all two-year PG programmes to be compressed in 18 months with each institute to have flexibility in conducting the program over 3 regular or 4 reduced semesters.