Few students turned up to colleges in the city on Monday as classes resumed for the first time in eight months after the Covid lockdown was imposed in March. The colleges authorities expect better attendance in the coming days.
The Punjab government has allowed colleges and universities to reopen from Monday with Covid-19 safety guidelines in place.
On an average, colleges in the city had an attendance of 40 to 50 students. According to principals, as it was the first day, few students turned up. Also, the rainfall in the city on Sunday evening and ‘Bhai Dooj’ on Monday were also contributing factors to the low attendance. Teachers took classes in-person and online simultaneously.
The colleges have taken all safety precautions as per government guidelines. Thermal screening was conducted at the main gates and hand sanitisers were placed outside classrooms. Due to few students attending, the colleges called off offline classes after half day.
Charanjit Singh, a student of SCD Government College, said he was waiting for college to restart as some concepts can be cleared by interacting with teachers in person. He added that he is carrying his own hand sanitiser and wearing a mask as precautionary measures.
Dharam Singh Sandhu, principal at SCD Government College, said that the college is prepared for classes to resume and students are following all guidelines. He added that have asked only students of final year to attend and they will call other students as per government guidelines.
{{/usCountry}}Dharam Singh Sandhu, principal at SCD Government College, said that the college is prepared for classes to resume and students are following all guidelines. He added that have asked only students of final year to attend and they will call other students as per government guidelines.
{{/usCountry}}He added that thermal screening of students is being done at the main gates and physical distancing is also being maintained.
Shruti Sharma, a student of Government College for Girls, said that due to the coronavirus outbreak, students have suffered a lot. She added that college students are mature enough to take all precautions, so the colleges can be reopened for everyone.
The decision to reopen colleges and universities in Punjab has been taken nearly eight months after the institutes were closed due to the Covid outbreak.
Mukti Gill, Principal of Khalsa College for Women, said around five to seven students per class turned up on Monday and they are expecting better attendance in the coming days.