Colleges and university departments here face daunting challenges amidst the pandemic as they get ready for partial reopening from the first week of January onwards.
From disinfecting classrooms to the logistics involved in reopening hostels, the authorities have a lot of work to complete before starting classes as per the protocol prescribed by the Health Department. The new normal involves the stringent implementation of directives, including recording the temperature of students and ensuring that teachers and students wear masks and wash their hands frequently. The Higher Education Department has decided to resume classes partially from January 4 onwards.
“We are exploring various options on how to resume classes as per the directives issued by the government. Reopening of hostels is a challenge as nearly 75% of the students are from outside districts and States,” said K.N. Madhusoodanan, Vice Chancellor of the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat).
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“The partial reopening will be for the postgraduate departments in the initial phase as the number of students in the undergraduate B.Tech batches is on the higher side. We are looking at organising classes in batches in tune with the recommendations made by the authorities,” he said.
Principals of aided colleges admitted that even partial reopening involved health risks as it was a Herculean task to adhere to the pandemic protocol on a daily basis. “The situation can be managed if the classes are being held for the postgraduate batches as the student strength is low compared to the undergraduate batches. This will require additional monitoring and staff deployment to ensure that the guidelines are implemented without fail,” they said.
The higher educational institutions will have to step up capacity building of staff, parents and students by disseminating authentic information on the precautions and safety measures to be observed on campuses. Awareness will have to be created on COVID-19 symptoms and the importance of physical distancing, proper wearing of masks, hand sanitisation, and coughing and sneezing etiquette among staff members, students and parents. The stakeholders need to be well-informed about the new standard operating protocols.
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