COVID-19: Tamil Nadu government orders colleges to go back to online education

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has ordered that colleges should go back to online teaching from Tuesday, in view of the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the State. However, pending practical classes and exams can be completed by March 31, the government has said.

Chief Secretary Rajeev Ranjan in a statement on Monday said that after discussions with officials from the Higher Education Department and Health Department, the government decided that classes should be held online starting Tuesday. The Higher Education Department issued an order following suit.

Classes for all higher educational institutions including colleges and polytechnic will be held online for six days a week. Exceptions will be made for Science, Engineering and Polytechnic students, who can complete their practical classes and exams by March 31.

The order further said that all semester exams will be held online. However, instructions are pending on whether hostel facilities will remain open for residential students.

While all educational institutions were closed in March 2020, final year students and researchers were allowed back into the institutions from December 7 and other students from February 8. The order said that most colleges have completed 70-80 per cent of the course work.