Low turnout as regular classes resume

SAMBALPUR: Classes in colleges and universities in the district recorded low turnout on Monday after educational institutions were reopened after a gap of around 10 months. At Gangadhar Meher University, around 40 per cent of students enrolled in undergraduate and post-graduate final year courses, showed up on the day. The university officials said the classrooms were sanitised and not more than two students were allowed to sit on a bench. While most of the students who attended the classes were locals, hostel inmates are yet to return from their homes. 

Similarly, at Government Women’s College, all protocols were followed before resumption of physical classes. Principal Prafulla Sethi said the classrooms and corridors of the college were sanitised and benches marked to ensure distancing. Around 30 per cent of the students enrolled in Plus Three final year turned up on the day. Around 25 per cent hostellers have returned from their homes, he said. At Sambalpur University, where the majority of hostel inmates are yet to return to the campus, the attendance was dismally low.