Colleges: Online exams ahead, not wise to ask students to travel now

Colleges: Online exams ahead, not wise to ask students to travel now

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:01.12.2020

Universities, colleges across the state are busy preparing campuses and deciding on SOPs to follow when final year students of undergraduate courses return on December 7 after months of lockdown. This comes even as several colleges have scheduled online semester exams from December second week for UG final year students.

In the first step towards switching back to in-person classes, UG final year students will return to campuses on December 7. Medical colleges and paramedical colleges are allowed to open up to all UG and PG students from next Monday. The state government has also waved a green flag to reopening campus hostels.

“All universities/colleges including arts and science, engineering, agriculture, fisheries, and veterinary sciences are allowed to conduct classes for the undergraduate final year students by following standard operating procedures,” chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami said in an announcement on Monday.

Classes for the first-year students to start from February 1, 2021.

State universities have conducted meetings with hostel wardens, campus directors and deans on making arrangements.

“We have instructed hostel wardens to keep hygiene in mind, making arrangements for hand sanitizers and to facilitate social distancing. Body temperature of hostel students will be checked frequently and any student with Covid-19 symptoms will be isolated and given proper medical care,” said S Gowri, vice-chancellor of Madras University.

Likewise, Anna University also held meetings with officials on making arrangements for accommodating research scholars and PG students.

“Many colleges have declared study holidays. We can reopen for final year students only from the next semester as many dont want to risk returning to campuses during exams,” principal of a city college said.

Engineering colleges also plan to conduct online proctoring tests for third, fifth, and seventh-semester students in December. “The state government gave its permission to conduct online semester exams for UG and PG students. In a circular on Monday, Anna University asked autonomous colleges to conduct semester exams online. So, final year UG students will come to colleges only from next semester and it is also not advisable to ask them to travel during study holidays,” principal of an engineering college in the city said.

Engineering colleges that have many boarding students want the 14-day mandatory quarantine rule for hostel students relaxed. “It will be difficult for colleges to quarantine students in hostel rooms. We can instead make Covid tests mandatory and let them inside the hostels,” another principal said.