CHENNAI: As colleges prepare to reopen their gates for final year undergraduate students and medical students on Monday, the State government has issued a detailed Standard Operating Procedure for the conduct of classes.
Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had recently announced that the colleges and universities will be allowed to function from December 7. Classes for programmes other than medicine, arts and science, engineering, agriculture, fisheries and veterinary, will continue online.
According to the new SOP, universities, colleges and hostels within containment zones will not be allowed to conduct classroom sessions, and teachers and students from containment zones should also not attend the classes. Institutions have been asked to prepare a plan to handle the gathering of students, following all safety measures, including disinfection.
No more than half the total students’ strength should be present in the class at any time and students can visit their respective departments in small numbers for consultation after seeking prior permission. In-person classes will be voluntary and colleges should continue facilitating education in distance mode. Teaching hours can be extended to ensure that safety measures are followed.
A six-day schedule will be followed so that classes can be conducted in phases, and by maintaining social distancing. All extracurricular activities should be avoided, wherein physical distancing is not possible. Spitting on campus will be a punishable offense. Colleges should inform all students and faculty of the Central government’s web portal Manodarpan, in which mental health help can be found.