As Covid cases decline in Odisha, technical institutes set to reopen

Odisha technical education minister Premananda Nayak said final year classes will resume on Monday with Covid protocols. “We will decide later on the resumption of other classes,” said Nayak

Updated on: Aug 9, 2021, 14:50:15 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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All technical institutes in Odisha, including engineering colleges and industrial technical institutes, reopened on Monday after remaining closed for around six months due to the Covid pandemic.

The state, for the first time in over four months, reported the number of Covid cases in three digits, a huge drop from the number of cases in May, when the second wave peaked. On Monday, Odisha reported 886 cases in the last 24 hours. On May 22, Odisha had reported 12,852 cases, its highest during the second wave.

The state has around 200 technical institutes offering courses like MBA, MCA and engineering, while the number of ITI and diploma institutes is around 700.

Odisha technical education minister Premananda Nayak said final year classes will resume on Monday with Covid protocols. “We will decide later on the resumption of other classes,” said Nayak.

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Nayak said physical classes would be held in regular manner to cover all chapters of the syllabus irrespective of coverage of some chapters by online mode. “Whenever possible, the physical classroom teaching shall be recorded and shared with absentee students. Teachers/staff/students staying in active containment zones will not come to universities/ colleges. Facemask is mandatory,” he said.

Students and staff have been asked to ensure complete vaccination before rejoining classes. Strict orders have been issued to maintain appropriate Covid protocols like social distancing, wearing of masks.

So far physical sessions for classes 10 and 12 have begun in the state from July 28 while the same for the students of classes 9 and 11 would begin from August 16. The teaching hours for Class 9 and 11 students will be from 9am to 12.30pm excluding Sundays and public holidays.

Classes for Post Graduate (PG) first year and Under Graduate (UG) and pre-Final year students would also open for physical classroom teaching from August 16 along with hostels.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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