SPPU forms committee to initiate college reopening process

A committee has been formed to decide on reopening of colleges affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), said officials during the meeting of management council on Monday.

This committee will interact with principals about the safety arrangements and other necessary steps to reopen the colleges.

“A committee has been formed to work on the reopening process. They will talk to college principals and understand various issues related to the reopening of colleges. Accordingly, we will need permissions from several government bodies. And in next five days this committee will submit their report about the same,” said Prof Nitin Karmalkar, vice-chancellor, SPPU.

“The safety of students is the most important factor. We will study the overall situation of Covid in all the three districts Pune, Nashik and Ahmednagar where our colleges are affiliated and accordingly further decision will be taken,” he said.

On November 5 the University Grants Commission (UGC) issued guidelines regarding reopening of colleges to all the universities. So to take a review of the colleges affiliated with SPPU a two-day interaction programme was conducted by SPPU in November where the vice-chancellor interacted with principals of various colleges from Pune, Nashik and Ahmednagar districts.

Dr Ravindra Pardeshi, principal, Fergusson College, said, “We do not want to risk the safety of students and so it is important to analyse the local situation and then decide. We agree the classes should start, but the safety of students should always be the top priority.”

Rohan Nalawade, a second-year science student, said, “We have now become used to the new normal of Covid situation and as we are doing our other day to day activities with safety measures colleges should also reopen. I hardly understand anything which is taught online by teachers, nothing can replace the classroom teaching and so it is important to reopen the colleges.”