Only 15% of the students turn up as Indore colleges reopen after a 295-day hiatus

The spread of coronavirus has incubated a certain degree of paranoia among college students who deserted the colleges in Indore after they reopened after 295-day hiatus on January 1, 2021. Additional Director of Higher Education stated that the district colleges had undertaken several precautions to conduct safe classes for students amid the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. This included provisions to carry out regular sanitisation and maintenance of social distancing by allowing only 50% of the students to attend classes. However, the widespread COVID-fear limited the strengths to only 15%, reported sources.

Indore colleges prioritise student safety with precautionary measures

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All colleges in the Indore district have enforced active preventive protocols to minimise the threat of transmission of coronavirus among attending students. The AD of Higher Education himself inspected and ensured that all norms of social distancing were being followed.

Besides this, the Additional Director added that the equipment in science labs, computer centres and training centres were thoroughly sanitised as they are shared among several students. Other commodities and activities that can transmit the virus have been prohibited, including biometric machines, watercoolers along with culture and sports activities. Classes were conducted from 10 AM to 12 noon to tighten the window of transmission. Meanwhile, the district has also constituted a special monitoring committee to frequently visit and check colleges' adherence to COVID-guidelines.

Hostellers in big trouble

Students are not allowed to stay at the hostels, as a preventive measure against community spread among college attendees, college and hostel staff. This, in turn, created a lot of troubles for the students arriving at the DVV college, who reached here but were deprived of accommodation and had no place to go.

Though the student turn-out has remained thin for the ongoing classes, classes for first and second-year students of undergraduate programmes and first-semester post-graduation programmes will begin by January 20, 2021, in all likeliness. As per reports, online classes will continue for outstation students, however, local students have to attend regular classes at the premises.

-With inputs from The Free Press Journal