BHUBANESWAR: After three months physical classes in 2020-21 academic session, colleges and universities in Odisha have been asked to go back to online mode of teaching from April 19.Acting on the instruction of Special Relief Commissioner PK Jena to immediately suspend classes in physical mode in view of the second wave of Covid-19, the Department of Higher Education (DHE) on Friday asked all the educational institutions to stop campus teaching as well as exams if any.
The department said classes will be held in online mode to complete the remaining syllabus, while revised dates for examination will be communicated later by the department after consultation with the vice-chancellors and principals. Hostels will be closed down and the boarders will have to vacate the campus by Monday.
As per the order, the universities and colleges will function with 50 per cent staff strength of teaching and non-teaching. The head of the educational institutes will fix roster duty accordingly for smooth conduct of academic and administrative activities. The online teaching can be conducted from the campus as well as home depending on the roster day arrangements, the DHE order stated.
The teaching and non-teaching staff working from home during roster duty will have to remain in the headquarters to be able to come to the campus as and when required. With the announcement of suspension of physical classes, most of the students, especially from far-off places and outside the State, have already left for their homes.
The government has also asked the Skill Development and Technical Education department to come up with its guidelines for online classes in engineering and management institutes. The classes for higher education students in the current academic session had started in physical mode from January 11.