On December 12, the Uttarakhand Education Department Chief Secretary Om Prakash released the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for the reopening of Uttarakhand Colleges and Universities in the state after 10 months.
The Cabinet meeting conducted on December 09, 2020, decided to open colleges and universities from December 15, 2020.
The Uttarakhand SOP mentioned that the students will have to undergo the RTPCR test before entering the college premises and it is also compulsory for the college management to take the written consent of the parents before permitting the students to enter the college.
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Uttarakhand Colleges will be reopened with only 50% of the total capacity and the students who are pursuing courses that include practical subjects can be permitted for classes in phase 1. Theoretical studies can be continued online. The statement directs that classes shall be held only for the students in either the first or last semester.
The colleges are directed to either increase the number of sections, hold offline classes on alternate days, or can conduct classes in multiple shifts, in order to prevent the crowd considering the COVID-19 circumstances.
The Uttarakhand SOP further suggested that the classes for some subjects practicals could be conducted via the use of virtual labs.
The Guidelines further mentioned that Uttarakhand Universities and Colleges must be sanitized properly before they are reopened. Sanitizing, handwashing, thermal scanning, and first aid arrangements shall be made at the main entrance of the college building. The students and the staff must mandatorily wear a mask.
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Social Distancing should be followed rightly, with a distance of 6 feet between the students, and the movement of the outsiders in the college premises will be banned. If any of the students or staff show symptoms of COVID-19, they will immediately be sent back.
If any of the principals, teachers, staff, or students are found contravening the guidelines mentioned under the SOP, strict action will be taken against the respective culprit.
The students who will be traveling from other states and will reside in hostels, and also the day scholars will have to compulsorily undergo the COVID-19 test.
The authorities have clarified that the management committee, principal, and vice-chancellor shall be authorized to take the final decision regarding the circumstances of Uttarakhand universities and colleges for commencing offline studies.
There are around 29 private and government universities in the state, and more than 5 lakh students in total in the colleges. The Universities and colleges will have to strictly abide by the respective guidelines of the University Grants Commission along with the SOP issued to conduct the classes.
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