Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr Ashwath Narayan, who is also the Higher Education Minister announced that due to Covid-19, there will be a combination of online and offline classes for colleges, which will open in the state on November 17. Practical classes will be kept offline. The UGC has made provisions, while MHA too has allowed restarting of colleges.

Students will have to get parental consent and offline classes are only on a voluntary basis. All institutions will have to abide by safety measures like physical distancing, thermal scanners, masking and sanitising.

“There will be no vacation for online and offline classes. The number of classes will be as per the calendar of events which is as per the syllabus. The evaluation system can always be simplified, but let them learn properly. We have to serve the purpose of education. UGC has given calendar of events for exams and also issued broad guidelines. We will have coordination between universities,” says Narayan.

He adds, ,”We will start with degree, then gradually PUC, then SSLC and then others in lower classes. The SOP for exams will be similar to what we had for other examinations held recently. SOP formed for physical distancing will be followed for offline classes too.”

“We will see what will be the number, how many will enrol and how many want to come back. We will decide based on that. Whoever wants to come back, we are allowing them. So far, hostels were quarantine and COVID centres. College authorities have learnt how to manage the centres and they can adopt similar methods for offline classes. They will give safety the priority,” says Narayan.

Source: The New Indian Express

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