KOLKATA: Jadavpur University authorities discussed about reopening of campus at a special meeting on Friday.
Several recommendations were made at the meeting to maintain health protocols and protect students and faculty members as and when the university reopens.
Among the suggestions made were starting classes in a phased manner, providing ambulance service in case of an emergency, forming a committee with experts on public health for a time-to-time advice and partnering with a hospital to provide medical facilities to the varsity.
“We are expecting a decision about reopening the campus to emerge after a meeting with the vice-chancellors and education minister Partha Chatterjee on Wednesday. But, the stakeholders have also reached a consensus that the Board of Studies in each faculty will decide about students who will be allowed access to the campus in every phase after reopening,” said a source.
He added that a decision about reopening the hostels could not be taken in the meeting.
“We need to know the state government’s opinion about allowing boarders at the hostels. But, if students are not permitted to stay, it will result in inequality since a large section of students of JU are from outside the city,” he added.
The virtual meeting on Friday was attended by vice-chancellor Suranjan Das, along with other officials, teachers’ organizations and student unions. “The meeting was essentially called to draw up a roadmap for the reopening of campus for face-to-face interactions” explained the source.
In its earlier stakeholders’ meeting that was held in the middle of January, the teachers and students insisted on starting physical classes on the campus after Calcutta University gave a permission to start practical classes for the postgraduate students.
A faculty member said, “The discussions were preliminary. We are not in a position to decide till the government permits higher education institutes to allow physical attendance of students.”