Karnataka all set to begin colleges offline from October

by Krishna Menon

2nd December 2020

Karnataka is all set to open colleges, degree universities and engineering colleges amid the Coronavirus epidemic. This is set to be put into effect by 1st October. Students at some colleges and pre-universities have currently been taking classes in the online mode and have not been able to set foot into their university premises after the epidemic. The Karnataka government is all set to make access to education in full swing and is planning to set up infrastructure and amenities to ensure that Online classes begin on September 1st, till offline classes commence. The Higher Education Minister, Dr. Ashwath Narayan C.N has personally commenced it to the public.

Colleges are changing their infrastructure to accommodate students during the pandemic.

(Source: gettyimages)

While this may be news of optimism for college students, in order to make this feasible, the education board is waiting for the safety guidelines and protocols to be issued by the Central government on how to go about with the commencement of colleges. Final year exams, and regular scheduled exams will go as conducted once colleges start offline classes. Students are expected to appear in person and appropriate planning is being done to ensure safety and prevent contamination of the virus within universities.

Karnataka has been the first state in the country to initiate the opening of educational institutes. However, the education department is yet to state definitely on the opening of schools in Karnataka. The High Court of Karnataka had placed a ban on online classes of schools till July 31st. Further details on commencement of schools offline is expected to be formulated once Unlock 4.0 comes into the picture. The board also discouraged schools from charging extra fees and making it compulsory for students to attend online classes.

So far, it appears that the government is taking appropriate steps to bring education back to normal, despite the pandemic raging on. Karnataka witnessed its highest growth on Thursday with over 9300 cases confirmed in a single day. Karnataka has had over 3,27,000 cases and 5483 deaths as of now. India is the third highest country with Coronavirus infections tallying over 3.6 million cases.

Sources: Scroll.in, the Times of India, Hindustan Times

Edited by Hrishit Roy