UGC Issues Official Guidelines For Reopening University And College Campus
The University Grants Commission has issued official guidelines for universities and colleges across India. The campus is instructed to operate in phases and allow not more than 50% students at once. Sports activities prioritized over cultural gatherings.
New Delhi, India:
The University Grants Commission on Thursday has issued offical guidelines for reopening universities and colleges as the coronavirus still freezes our normal lives.
Colleges and Universities have been closed since March this year due imposed lockdown.
The UGC has proposed a six-day schedule, clearly instructing that no more than 50% of the total students should be attending at the college or the university.
The directives also read that the cultural activities and meetings should be avoided on campuses.
Sports activities might allowed in the accordance with the guidelines issued by the Home Ministry.
“Universities and colleges may plan opening the campuses in phases, with such activities where they can easily adhere to social distancing, use of face masks and other protective measures. This may include administrative offices, research laboratories and libraries etc,” stated the official guidelines.
All the students in research programmes and post-graduate degrees in science & technology may join as the number of enrolled students are comparatively less when compared against other disciplines.
Social distancing and rest of the preventive measures can be easily enforced.
Sharing of rooms in hostels will not be permitted and symptomatic students will not be granted stay under any circumstances.
The decisive action of reopening campuses of central universities and other centrally funded higher education institutions still remains in hands of respective Vice Chancellors and heads of institutions.
However, state governments are responsible for taking a call for state universities and colleges, the guidelines said.
The official guidelines strictly mention that the universities and colleges shall only be reopened if they are outside the containment zones.
The students and staff who might be a resident in containment zones will not be allowed to walk the campus.
The guidelines also motivate the faculty, staff and students of the universities and colleges to use ‘Aarogya Setu App’.
The Culture Ministry has also issued guidelines for reopening museums and art galleries.
The standard functioning procedures for museums contains a ban on use of audio guides, unless they are capable of disinfection after every individual use.
Visitors will be asked to keep their personal belongings in cars to bypass baggage checks at the entrance. Lifts are to be reserved for only the elderly and physically challenged.