Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru (MS)

Bengaluru, Jul 25: After being shut for months due to the second wave of Covid, colleges throughout the state are now set to reopen on Monday, July 26 with safety guidelines in place. The government has issued SOP for educational institutions, according to which only students who have received at least one dose of vaccination are allowed to entre the college premises. Certificate of vaccination will be checked at the entrance of the institution.

RTPCR test has been made mandatory for all students arriving from outstation states. They have to get this done 72 hours before entering the college. Attendance is not mandatory for all students.

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Lecturers are bound to attend colleges even if students do not attend. Universities have instructed the colleges to be kept open. Around 75% of the students are already vaccinated. Rest of the students will also get vaccinated, as per the information given by DCM Ashwathnarayan.

Degree colleges are being opened after a gap of three months. However, online classes will continue. First dose of vaccination is made compulsory for both teaching and non-teaching staff in colleges.

After observing the attendance of students in degree colleges and Covid infection rate, decision on reopening PUC and high schools will be taken. In addition, consideration will also be given to the likelihood of the third wave of Covid hitting the state, which experts have said may happen between August and September.

Masks have been made compulsorily for students and teachers while sitting inside the classrooms. College administrative committees have been instructed to given priority to use of hand sanitizers and cleanliness of college campus.

Though hostels are going to open, the students will have to wait some more time for extracurricular activities.

The college managements are also advising students to bring their own water bottles and not to share food with others. With graduation examinations beginning from August 10, the students will have to forget the fun part and switch over to study mode.

Satish M Bejjihally, member of Academic Council, Bengaluru City University and principal of Vidya Sanskar Institute of Science, Commerce and Management, stated that teachers were deputed as mentors to ensure administration of Covid-19 vaccination to all students. "The students are going to miss that emotional connection in the campus as we are stressing on social distancing," he added.

"We have been left with little time before examinations for graduation students. Practical exams are starting from August 2. We are not going to waste one single hour," he pointed out.

However, Bengaluru City University (BCU) management has planned a "welcome back to campus" programme for students on Monday. Prof Lingaraja Gandhi, the Vice-Chancellor of BCU stated that they have planned to welcome students with roses. Sanitiser and masks will also be provided to them," he adds.

"It is going to motivate them to attend classes and at the same time create awareness on Covid protocols," he underlines. The BCU campus was sanitized on Friday. The colleges have reported that as many as 75 per cent of their students are vaccinated.

Colleges affiliated with the Bangalore University will start operating from Monday. However, the Jnanabharathi campus will be open from August 2 for post graduation students.

College authorities are confident that the students will turn out in good numbers as most of them got Covid-19 vaccination. Since, hostel facilities are available in most of the colleges except for those which have been turned into Covid Care centres, outstation, out of state and foreign students will come back to campuses shortly, they added.

 With IANS inputs