TN colleges to welcome back more students from tomorrow, UGC stresses on SOP

After modifying certain aspects in its earlier guidelines, the Commission has asked all the Vice-Chancellors and principals of the colleges to make use of Aarogya Setu app wherever feasible. If students opt not to attend classes and prefer to study online from home, institutions will have to provide them with online study material and access to e-resources.

Asking to follow its earlier guidelines such as maintaining social distance at the institution, making facemasks mandatory and making available hand sanitiser and thermo scanner, the Commission said institutions should have a plan ready for international students who are unable to join the programme due to travel restrictions or visa-related issues.

Accordingly, online teaching-learning arrangements should also be made for them, the UGC guideline said.

The UGC, which had communicated to all the vice-chancellors and principals of the colleges on February 5, also said: “Students will be compulsorily submitting self-disclosure if any of their family members have been infected with COVID-19, but discrimination over the same should be avoided.”

Regular visits of a counsellor should be arranged so that students can talk with the counsellor about their anxiety, stress or fear. Also, the commission instructed that the universities and colleges prepare a policy for restricting the outside experts on campuses, study tours and field works.

As it was instructed for the schools, the six-day schedule should be followed so that classes in the higher education institutions can be conducted in phases and the seating arrangement is made keeping in view the requirements of physical distancing.

The hostels should define the number of students in dining halls at any point in time and accordingly, the mess timings may be increased to avoid overcrowding.

The State government could call information regarding COVID-19 related condition on the campuses and also call meetings at appropriate intervals with the head of institutions through video conferencing, the UGC guideline added.