Bengal: Online, vacation worry for colleges

KOLKATA: Several college principals have flagged concerns over the impact of bringing forward the summer vacation and switching to online mode as the decision was likely to hamper their preparations for National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) ratings, seminars and other academic activities that had revived after two years of pandemic.
Those colleges that have shifted to the online mode will hold some programmes virtually. Others that have brought the summer vacation forward have cancelled such programmes for the time being.
Following a circular from the higher education department last month-end, which directed schools, colleges and universities to consider shifting to online classes or advancing the summer vacation due to severe heat wave in the state, several colleges turned to virtual teaching. Some of them have returned to offline mode after the weather improved the following week. The rest have either declared summer vacation or continue to teach online.
Principal of a south Kolkata college that did not shift to online teaching last week said the institution was in the last stage of preparation for a NAAC team visit. A good NAAC rating helps colleges receive grants from the University Grants Commission (UGC) and other funds from various sources. Good NAAC rating also attracts meritorious students.
“If I shut down the campus, all our preparations for NAAC ratings will go waste. We are in the last stage of preparations after which the visit of NAAC team is due. Several aspects have to be taken care of, which is why it is not possible to shift to online teaching,” said the principal of a college.
Colleges and universities have opened after two years of pandemic and gradually several non-academic activities like fests, sports and inter-college interactions are being revived. Colleges that have shifted to online teaching will be holding some of these programmes online. “We were preparing for Rabindra Jayanti when we had to discontinue offline classes. A truncated version of the function took place online,” said the principal of a south Kolkata college.
While Scottish Church College and Jaipuria College have resumed offline classes as the weather has improved, other colleges have decided to either continue with online teaching or announced summer vacation. “We are a government college and will have to follow the directive,” said a principal.