UGC releases post COVID-19 guidelines for colleges, Universities; 50% students to be allowed

To ensure the safety of the students, the UGC has released the guidelines, as per which the Universities and college campuses will function with 50 per cent students in attendance, and outside college activities will be restricted.

With colleges and universities across the country reopening their gates to conduct offline classes after being close since March 2020 due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has now issued post-COVID-19 guidelines. To ensure the safety of the students, the UGC has released the guidelines, as per which the Universities and college campuses will function with 50 per cent students in attendance, and outside college activities will be restricted. Apart from physical distancing norms, colleges are expected to ensure students and staff members wear masks at all times, and ensure the campus is disinfected every day.

Many universities, including Delhi University that has already opened their gates for the final year undergraduate and postgraduate students. The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has a;so allowed entry of fourth-year PhD and MSc and MCA students in its fifth and sixth phase of reopening. The Banaras Hindu University has decided to reopen its campus for final-year students from February 22, 2021.

The UGC guidelines for colleges and universities suggest smaller class sizes in order to comply with COVID-19 social distancing norms. The new guidelines have asked the institutions to ensure that “before reopening of any campus, the Central or the concerned State Government must have declared the area safe for reopening of educational institutions. The directions, instructions, guidelines and orders issued by the Central and State Government concerned regarding safety and health in view of COVID-19 must be fully abided by the higher education institutions.”

UGC, in the guideline, has also asked colleges and universities to mandate regular visits of a counsellor to ensure mental wellness and stress-free campuses. The commission has also asked the educational institutions to set-up helplines for the mental health, psychological concerns and well-being of the students. “Regular mentoring of students through interactions, and appeals/letters by the Universities/ Colleges to remain calm and stress-free. This can be achieved through telephones, e-mails, digital and social media platforms,” UGC guidelines added.

The educational institutions have been advised to restrict activities including visits of outside experts on campuses, study tours, and field works. The faculty, staff and students of the university and college should be encouraged to download ‘Aarogya Setu App’.

Colleges and universities have to provide online study material and access to e-resources to the students who prefer to study online while staying at home during this period. Institutions are also asked to make online teaching-learning arrangements for international students who could not join the programme due to international travel restrictions or visa-related issues. “Faculty should be trained for online teaching-learning practices,” read the official UGC guidelines.

Read the all guidelines released by the UGC here

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