When colleges reopened on January 4 after the holidays, the attendance was thin and most students opted for online classes, according to principals. They say lack of clear guidelines has left the colleges confused.
P. Wilson, principal of Madras Christian College, said that of the total of 2,000 students, only 400 had returned. “Every day, we are conducting RT-PCR tests. If a student is sick, we isolate the entire class and ask them to go for online classes. We are managing with a hybrid system of online and offline classes,” he said.
A recent circular has left students of Stella Maris College and their parents confused. It said students were expected to come to college. Attendance would be given only to those who attended classes in person. All assessment tests would be conducted only in college. But “those who are COVID-19-positive/ quarantined in the containment zone must produce a request letter, along with the evidence/certificate for the same, to the class teacher specifying the period to claim attendance,” the circular stated.
On a social media platform, the students were requested to attend classes offline. “If a student is facing any difficulty in attending class offline, you are requested to send a mail to the principal...,” the message read. The students were also advised to check their daily attendance on the portal.
Principal Rosy Joseph said no student was forced to come to college. “We have asked the final-year students to come to campus. We are not forcing anyone. The hostels are also open. The government asked us to open hostels, too. We are following the government rules. Every day we must provide attendance details by 11 a.m. to the government. The government has not clarified whether students who lack attendance will be allowed to take the exams. We have provided study material to students who are unable to come to college. We do not have online classes for final-year students. Online classes are for only first- and second-year students,” she said.
Sources in the Department of Higher Education said the instructions, issued before allowing colleges to reopen, had specified that students could not be forced to come to college and the online stream should continue to help those who were unable to return to college.
