PATNA: Several teachers of different constituent colleges under Patliputra
University (PPU) have tested positive for Covid-19. A few of them had to be admitted to the hospitals in Patna.
The Patliputra University Teachers’ Association (PPUTA), at its meeting on Wednesday, urged the university to immediately suspend all university examinations and exempt teachers from coming to the colleges every day. The meeting was chaired by PPUTA president Prof A K Singh Thakur.
“The alarming rise in the coronavirus cases in Patna has been worrying teachers. The university, instead of making physical presence of teachers in the colleges compulsory, must give them liberty to conduct their online classes from home like the previous year,” Thakur said.
According to Thakur, the university should also reduce attendance to 33% in each college. He also questioned the rationale behind calling teachers to colleges every day when academic activities have been suspended by the university.
PPUTA general secretary Prof Hridya Narain Singh said the university must revise its examination schedule in the larger interest of students. Keeping in view such an alarming trend of the virus, it is not safe for both teachers and students to come to colleges daily, he said.
Nalanda Open University (NOU) registrar Prof P K Verma said the university was finding it difficult to hold undergraduate and postgraduate examinations for about 5000 students. These examinations being held at A
N College, College of Commerce, Arts and
Science and G D Patliputra School centres must be postponed immediately, he said.
M D College Naubatpur principal Prof Kanhaiya Prasad Sinha said one teacher has tested positive for Covid-19. The college administration sanitised the premises on Tuesday on its own, he said.
B D College principal Prof Praveen Kumar said the college was unable to deal with the present situation effectively mainly due to paucity of funds. The university or state government must provide financial assistance to the college to install ‘tunnel sanitising’ device at the main entrance.
Sources said while A N College principal and several other staff have tested positive for Covid-19, teachers of
T P S College, College of Commerce, Arts and Science, Sri Gurugobind Singh College, Arvind Mahila College and others in and around Patna are facing the same problem.
Meanwhile,
Purnea University held a massive inoculation drive at the university headquarters with support from the district administration on Tuesday. Out of the 114 teachers, eight have tested positive for
Covid -19, said its media in-charge Rajnish Kumar.