As per the guideline by the state government, colleges all across Karnataka are gearing up to open on Tuesday, November 17. Apart from the mandatory social distancing and screening as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the government, there were several more procedures adopted by colleges to ensure safe and healthy learning.
The students, teaching and non-teaching staff are to test negative before attending classes and the students must get permission letters from their parents. Some colleges, including Bangalore University, have opted to only allow final year students to physically attend college to make it easier to maintain distance.
In the same vein, Bangalore University has also made the decision to keep cafeterias closed, and encouraged students to carry their own food and water to avoid cross-contamination. In addition to this, some colleges, like Kasturba Medical College, have chosen to conduct classes in shifts, ensuring that not too many students are within the college at the same time.
For outstation students, the situation is perilous. While the plan was to begin offline classes that were optional in nature, sources in certain colleges state that they do not have an option but to attend, as all online classes have been suspended, and exams, which too will be offline, are approaching.
For students who live in other states or countries, this requires travel and quarantine beforehand. Additionally, the SOP has instructed that only 50% of a hostel is permitted to be occupied. This makes finding living accommodations difficult.
While many colleges are coming up with ways to ensure the safety of their students and staff, some colleges have made the choice not to reopen at the moment.