IIMC Delhi agrees to start practical classes on campus after student protest

NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Mass Communication on Friday said it has decided to start practical classes for various post-graduate diploma courses from April 26 at its New Delhi campus.

A number of IIMC students had staged a protest on Monday demanding to reopen the campus for practical classes. Since practical classes could not be held in the first semester due to the coronavirus outbreak, the protesting students demanded the institute to make arrangements for the students.

The institute said in a statement on Friday that classroom practical sessions of various PG diploma courses such as making lab journals and other exercises will start from April 26.

However, the final "timetable with details of lab allotment and timings" will be drawn up after all the course directors get "the consent/readiness of individual students to attend the class in person in the next 2 to 3 days". "While the students may fill the consent form, it should be accompanied by signed consent from parents as well, when they attend classes for the first time.

COVID-19 protocol

Students should also produce Covid negativity certificate (RTPCR) on reporting to the Institute," it said. Since the Delhi centre of IIMC runs five courses including Urdu journalism, the computer lab and their timing will be suitably "adjusted/divided equitably depending on course/syllabus requirements". "Final schedule will be released by the third week of April.

Effort would be to enable students of each course to attend practical sessions at least twice a week. Separate instructions on etiquettes/procedures to be followed in classrooms will follow," the journalism school said.

Theory classes will continue to run in online mode. While the students had raised demands to open the hostels for both girl and boy students, the centre has asked all outstation students to "to make their own stay arrangements as a decision on opening hostel will not be taken "till the pandemic situation improves". "Above decisions of the Institute are depended on the emerging pandemic situation, various government decisions/circulars and travel and stay restrictions being put in place by various state and central authorities," the statement said.

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