COVID-19 Lockdown 2: Odisha universities to resume operations online

NEW DELHI: Odisha's higher education department has asked the state's universities to resume functioning in online mode during the COVID-19 lockdown. However, certain restrictions will be in place.

The Odisha higher education department conveyed this in a letter addressed to all the vice chancellors of universities in the state.

Earlier, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs had issued guidelines stating that the educational institutions will remain shut till May 3. Before this directive came, the Odisha government had announced that all educational institutions, including schools and colleges will remain shut till June 17. However, online teaching-learning process was allowed to continue.

Prime Minister Modi had extended the nationwide lockdown till May 3 in view of the coronavirus outbreak.

Restrictions

The Higher Education Department directed the universities in Odisha to conduct the classes via online teaching, e-learning and distance learning.

“Classes (theory and practical) shall not be held in physical mode,” said the letter.

It also instructed the universities to be prepared for conducting the exams at a short notice.

Also, students can neither live in the university hostel nor can they enter the university offices and department without valid permission of the authority concerned.

While field trips, visits and trips are prohibited, seminars, workshops, conferences, interviews can be held online.

Similarly, the PhD viva-voce examination and pre-submission presentation are allowed via online mode.

The education department also permitted the evaluation of answer scripts for examinations already conducted but “no zonal valuation is permitted.”

The letter states, “All Group A (teaching and non-teaching staff) have to attend to their official duty at the university on a daily basis.”

However, only one-third of Group B, C, and D employees will have to attend to their official duty daily with or without rotation basis as decided by the competent authority.

Most importantly, the university must follow COVID-19 preventive measures such as social distancing, hand washing, sanitization, compulsory use of masks, routine disinfection and suspend the biometric attendance system while resuming its operations.

Odisha has become the first state to resume the functioning of universities amidst the nationwide lockdown.

Also read:

• Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak: Latest Updates
• Coronavirus: Delhi University goes online as all colleges close

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