V-Cs are against reopening of colleges and varsities: Maharashtra minister Uday Samant

Vice-chancellors (V-Cs) of all state universities are currently unanimously against reopening universities and colleges, said Maharashtra minister for higher and

Vice-chancellors (V-Cs) of all state universities are currently unanimously against reopening universities and colleges, said Maharashtra minister for higher and technical education Uday Samant on Friday. In a press conference, Samant said the state will consider expert opinion before deciding on the status of reopening colleges.

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“For now, V-Cs are not comfortable with bringing students back to colleges, especially because Covid-19 cases are still on the higher side across the state. We should have a clearer understanding on this topic after Diwali,” Samant said, adding that a meeting will be held between V-Cs of all state universities along with the state disaster management committee for suggestions before announcing the state’s final decision.

The press conference was held a day after the University Grants Commission (UGC) released guidelines advising higher education institutes outside containment zones to reopen in phases, starting with PhD/research scholars, then postgraduate students and then final-year undergraduate students. It further clarified that colleges need to ensure that the number of students attending classes on campus at any given time should not be more than half of their total strength.

Samant said UGC has left the final decision on reopening colleges to respective state governments. “States have been asked to announce their final decision in this matter after consultation with respective state departments about the current Covid-19 conditions,” he said.

He further said that final-year (summer 2020) exams were successfully conducted online across the 13 state universities with over 90% students managing to appear for the exams online. Several universities have also started declaring results for these exams.