Bihar: College resume offline classes with thin attendance on Day 1

PATNA: Life returned to the educational institutions of the state on Monday with the resumption of offline classes after more than three months of closure on account of the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Most colleges and postgraduate departments of different universities were humming with activities with the enthusiastic participation of boys and girls in academics.
Even though the attendance of students was not very encouraging on the first day, it is likely to pick up in a day or two. Moreover, several local colleges have decided to continue with the online classes in theory papers and conduct only practical classes in offline mode. The syllabi of most undergraduate and postgraduate students in Patna University have already been completed through online classes and most of them are awaiting announcement of their examination schedules.
However, a number of boys and girls were found making anxious inquiries about their time table of theory and practical classes on the basis of 50% students’ participation. They were wearing masks even though social distancing was not visible at all the places. Interestingly, colleges witnessed much greater footfalls of girls as compared to the boys.
Magadh Mahila College principal Shashi Sharma said each class was divided into two halves and classes were held for them by different teachers. Not even 50% girls attended the classes on the first day. She clarified that only those classes were held offline in which some topics were still to be covered. In science subjects, batch and unit wise practical classes in different subjects have been started to maintain social distancing, she said.
Sharma said the college has decided to hold mock tests of three hours in different classes to familiarize the girls with the examination techniques in face-to-face mode. In fact, most of these girls have attended only online classes till date after their admissions, she said.
Patna College principal Ashok Kumar admitted that only a few students had turned up on Monday. A few classes in subjects like Urdu and Maithili were held but the attendance was very thin. He asserted that the guidelines issued by the education department as well as the instructions issued by PU are being followed strictly. No gathering of students at any point is allowed and the entire campus has been thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, he added.
B N College principal Raj Kishore Prasad said the students preferred to attend classes online. Even though the college has notified commencement of practical classes in offline mode, not a single student turned up on Monday, he said.
In J D Women’s College, a large number of girls turned up on the opening day. Some classes were also held with 50%attendance. Smaller classes were held in offline mode. “Not a single student was allowed to enter the campus without masks and they were also encouraged to get themselves inoculated at the vaccination camp inside the college,” college principal Shyama Roy said.
Students were seen attending classes in offline mode with great enthusiasm at College of Commerce, Arts and Science. The college appeared to be quite clean and no crowd of students was seen at any one place. Those students who have not been inoculated for Covid as yet were asked by the teachers to get it done at the college vaccination camp itself, said psychology teacher Dinesh Kumar Singh.