Bengaluru, Nov 16 (UNI) After a gap of seven months, the degree, engineering and diploma colleges are all set to reopen from Tuesday, in accordance with the guidelines issued by the University Grants Commission (UGC) across the state.
Schools and colleges were shut in March, in the wake of the Novel Coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, imposed across the country, to arrest the spread of COVID-19.
While the primary and secondary education department is yet to take a call on whether to open the schools and pre-university colleges, the Higher Education department has decided to open colleges from November 17. Medical, dental, paramedical, nursing and AYUSH colleges will re-open from December 1.
However, some colleges in the state are likely to reopen the colleges after a week's time, due to the preparations for the testing of both teaching and non-teaching staff of the college, since the testes were yet to commence in some districts.
Many government and government-aided degree colleges have started preparations by sanitising the classrooms with spraying of disinfectants and setting up hand sanitisers at the entrance of the college and classrooms.
The government said there was an option for students to either be physically present in the classroom or attend online classes.
However, teachers, staff and the students will have to produce a negative RT-PCR test report. Students will also have to submit a no-objection certificate by their parents, permitting their wards to attend regular classes.
Ahead of the re-opening of colleges, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayan, who holds the Higher Education portfolio, told reporters that guidelines have already been given to them (colleges), in view of the Coronavirus scare.
He said the government was also keenly monitoring the measures taken by colleges.
According to him, each college has to set up a task force consisting of teachers, staff and students to ensure that the regulations are strictly adhered to. A senior official in the Education Department said education was badly hampered due to the lockdown for eight months.
The students also faced problems with regard to online classes, such as affordability of smartphones, health issues as a result of being glued to the screens and internet connectivity.
Keeping these problems in mind, the government decided to start regular classes, albeit with a set of conditions.
UNI BSP RJ 2032