There was good turnout of students in medical and dental colleges as offline classes reopened on Monday.
The colleges were closed in March due to the second wave of COVID-19 infections in the State.
Jayakar Shetty, Vice-Chancellor, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Science (RGUHS), said that the attendance on an average in medical colleges in the State was around 70%, and 60% in dental colleges. In colleges that offer alternative systems of medicine and allied health courses, the attendance was less than 50%.
Attendance to improve
Dr. Shetty said that the attendance is likely to improve in the coming days as the colleges were told to reopen only on Saturday.
“Many students who live in other States need time to return to Karnataka and the attendance will improve by the end of the week,” he said.
The State government has stated that only students and staff who have taken at least one dose of vaccination can attend offline classes. The college managements were also asked to maintain social distancing and follow the standard operating procedures to prevent transmission of COVID-19 on campuses.
M.R. Jayaram, chairman of the Karnataka Professional Colleges Foundation, said most students were waiting for colleges to reopen as they were finding it difficult to grasp lessons during the online classes.
