Students looking for quiet places to sit and study are using the city’s study centres, where they can rent cubicles of their own.
The centres, spread across the city but concentrated in middle-class localities such as Vijayanagar, Malleswaram and Jayanagar, offer free Internet connectivity.
Students take monthly subscriptions, and each has a dedicated space.
Karanth Study Centre, Vinayaka Layout, Vijayanagar, has 137 cubicles on offer. Of them, only 80 are now given out, so that students can conform to social distancing norms.
At any given time, only 30-40 students use the premises. “They come at different times during the day,” says Manikumar Gangavathi, coordinator.
For Rs 1,600 a month, a student gets a cubicle, Wi-fi, drinking water, and newspapers and magazines.
Entry is automated. “The door opens only if the student’s body temperature is within the ‘safe limit’. We also ask for a Covid-19 negative report for those who want a space,” he adds.
Medha Study Centre, Hampi Nagar, Vijayanagar, hit a low during the lockdown but is slowly getting back on track.
Nanjunda G A, owner, says, “We are an 80-seat space, with 40 students coming in regularly. Masks are compulsory and we mandate Covid-19 testing for all our students.” The centre will limit its numbers till vaccination kicks in for everyone, he says.
V M Study Centre, Jayanagar 4th Block, has 70 cubicles and is allowing 36 students in. “We keep alternate desks vacant,” says its manager.
Business was good till the end of March 2020, and is slowly picking up again, he told Metrolife. “Our air conditioners are off at all times,” he says.
Dedicated seats
Ira Study room, Jayanagar 3rd Block, which started in December 2020, is open for 95 students in a space that can seat 150. “We have glass partitions between cubicles, and the space is well-ventilated with many windows,” says owner Jhanavi S.
The centre has a generator and promises uninterrupted power. “Students come back to their own desks rather than commonly used ones,” she says.
Students preparing for NEET, IAS and CLAT, form the majority of students here.
Varied rates
At Svadhyaya Reading Room, Malleswaram 7th Cross, a majority are preparing for chartered accountancy and other entrance exams.
About 60 students use the space, available for Rs 2,000, Rs 1,500, and Rs 900. Shivakumar, manager, says, “Some rooms have air conditioning. We remind students to maintain space between their desks.”
What are study rooms?
They are rooms, mostly with cubicles, to help students study without disturbance. Most are open from 6.30 am till midnight. Memberships are collected monthly, and the fees vary from Rs 900 to Rs 2,000. Study rooms usually offer Wi-Fi as part of the deal.