NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) students’ call to open campus for PhD scholars has finally been heard by the varsity administration. The JNU administration is planning to open the campus for PhD scholars in a phased manner after Durga Puja i.e, by next week.
Once the campus reopens, the day scholars and PhD scholars will be allowed to use the varsity’s libraries and laboratories for research and practical work.
“A special committee has been constituted to devise a proper plan for the reopening of campus and allowing students to use the study rooms while adhering to all Covid-19 guidelines. It has been decided that students will be allowed in a phased manner. For example, the students/scholars who have a deadline to submit their thesis or research paper by December will be allowed to use the labs and libraries first while maintaining social distancing guidelines,” said Pramod Kumar, registrar, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
He added that the varsity administration has also asked all the laboratory heads to prepare a roster of how many students can be accommodated in the labs at a time while adhering to all social distancing guidelines. A source from JNU said that the decision to open labs and libraries will be notified on Wednesday. The hostels though, shall continue to remain closed.
All safety arrangements such as temperature check, sanitisation of bags, hands and others will be provided at the entry gate. Besides, the scholars will also be provided with a special ‘ID card’ for entering the campus. At first, about 100 students will be allowed to enter campus. Last week, the JNU Students’ Union held several protests demanding the administration to open campus for academic purposes in a phased manner.