UGC GUIDELINES FOR RE-OPENING THE UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES POST LOCKDOWN DUE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC:-
Generic Preventive Measures/COVID-19 Appropriate Behaviour The following public health measures are to be followed to reduce the risk of COVID-19 by all (faculty members, employees, students and visitors) in these places at all times:
i. Physical distancing of at least 6 feet to be followed as far as feasible.
ii. Use of face covers/masks to be made mandatory.
iii. Frequent hand washing with soap (for at least 40-60 seconds) even when hands are not visibly dirty. Use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers (for at least 20 seconds) can be done wherever feasible.
iv. Respiratory etiquettes to be strictly followed. This involves strict practice of covering one’s mouth and nose while coughing/sneezing with a tissue/handkerchief/flexed elbow and disposing of used tissues properly.
v. Self-monitoring of health by all and reporting any illness at the earliest.
vi. Spitting shall be strictly prohibited.
vii. Installation & use of Aarogya Setu App shall be advised wherever feasible.
2. Re-Opening the Campuses - Issues and Challenges Indian higher education system is very large and diverse. There are various types of universities, colleges and institutions offering programmes ranging from engineering, technical, medical, sciences, humanities and social sciences at undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral level, besides research and extension activities. Also, they vary in their geographical conditions, size, infrastructural capacity, types and duration of programmes etc. Therefore, the issues and challenges faced by them in reopening their campus also vary considerably. Keeping in view the uncertainties of future due to COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the functioning of universities and colleges, they may plan to reopen their campuses in a phased manner, ensuring safety, health and well-being of all students and staff. They should be flexible in their plan and should be ready to handle any eventuality arising due to COVID-19. It may be difficult to comprehend all the challenges/ situations which the higher education institutions may be required to handle while they plan to reopen. However, some of the issues which they may be required to handle instantly are given below:
i. To follow the advisories/guidelines/directions issued by the Central/State Government, Ministry of Education and UGC from time to time to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
ii. Uncertainty among students regarding admissions, modes of teaching-learning, completion of courses, examinations, evaluation, declaration of results and the academic calendar, etc.
iii. Anxiety, mental health and psychological issues of students developed during the lockdown period and fear of infection after the opening of campuses.
iv. Safety measures including sanitisation of premises, thermal screening, ensuring physical distancing, face-cover/mask wearing, respiratory hygiene and hand-hygiene etc.
v. Preparation for risk assessment and subsequent actions which may be required depending upon the residential status of the institution - whether fully residential, partially residential or non-residential.
vi. Varied conditions of the pandemic in the state, area and environment where the students mainly live while making risk assessment and planning to address these challenges.
vii. Besides students, a serious risk of infection will also be faced by the faculty, counsellors and other technical and non-teaching staff also who face/ interact with the students and also among themselves regularly.
3. Measures Required before Re-Opening of Campuses As the universities and colleges are likely to face a number of issues at the time of reopening, they will be required to plan in advance. Some of the measures, which the institutions may have to take prior to reopening, are given below: 3.1 Pre-requisites
i. Before reopening of any campus, the Central or the concerned State Government must have declared the area safe for reopening of educational institutions. The directions, instructions, guidelines and orders issued by the Central and State Government concerned regarding safety and health in view of COVID-19 must be fully abided by the higher education institutions.
ii. However, they may develop stricter provisions and guidelines, if they feel it necessary. The universities and colleges have to make adequate arrangements to ensure the safety and health of students, faculty and staff.
iii. The universities and colleges shall be allowed to open only if they are outside the containment zones. Further, students and staff living in containment zones will not be allowed to attend the colleges. Students and staff shall also be advised not to visit areas falling within containment zones.
iv. The faculty, staff and students of the university and college should be encouraged to download ‘Aarogya Setu App’.
v. The institutions should be ready with a plan for handling the inflow of students, faculty and staff in the campus, monitoring disinfecting measures, safety and health conditions, screening and detecting the infected persons, containment measures to prevent the spread of the virus in the campus, and also alternative plan(s), in case the campus needs to be closed again due to spread of the virus in campus or in the surrounding area(s) in near future.
3.3 Measures
i. Universities and colleges may plan opening the campuses in phases, with such activities where they can easily adhere to social distancing, use of face masks and other protective measures. This may include administrative offices, research laboratories and libraries etc.
ii. Thereafter, students of all research programmes and post-graduate students in science & technology programmes may join as the number of such students is comparatively less and norms of physical distancing and preventive measures can be easily enforced.
iii. Further, final year students may also be allowed to join for academic and placement purposes, as per the decision of the head of the institution.
However, for (i), (ii) and (iii) above, it should be ensured that not more than 50% of the total students should be present at any point of time and necessary guidelines/protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19 are observed.
iv. For the programmes, other than those mentioned in paras 3.3 (ii) and (iii) above, online/distance learning shall continue to be the preferred mode of teaching and shall be encouraged.
v. However, if required, students may visit their respective departments in a small number for consultation with the faculty members, after seeking prior appointments to avoid crowding, while maintaining physical distancing norms and other safety protocols.
vi. Some students may opt not to attend classes and prefer to study online while staying at home. Institutions may provide online study material and access to eresources to such students for teaching-learning.
vii. Institutions should have a plan ready for such international students who could not join the programme due to international travel restrictions or visa-related issues. Online teaching-learning arrangements should also be made for them.
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