College, university campuses not to reopen immediately in Bengal

KOLKATA: Colleges and universities in West Bengal will not reopen campuses immediately, a senior official said. Laboratories will, however, be opened for the benefit of research scholars, spokesperson of the West Bengal Vice-Chancellors' Council (WBVCC) said after a meeting with Education Minister Partha Chatterjee on Wednesday.

"Several VCs told the minister that with the COVID-19 pandemic still raging, and students from outside Bengal and abroad studying in many universities and colleges here, it will not be feasible to either reopen the hostels or campuses just yet. The minister concurred with our views. Therefore, it was decided that classes and semester exams should continue to be held through virtual mode at present," the spokesperson said.

Education institutions remained closed since March 17 last year after the coronavirus outbreak.

The state government is exploring possibilities to reopen schools and begin classes in the higher grades from February 12 by conforming to COVID-19 protocols, Chatterjee had said on Tuesday. The Education Department would issue the necessary notification and those concerned would come to know when the schools reopen, he said.

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