JOIN USGripped by Covid fear, Bengaluru engineering students boycott offline classes
Bengaluru engineering colleges on Monday reported low attendance as students, panicked by a spike in the Covid numbers, boycotted offline classes and demanded institutions go virtual.
With some colleges reporting as low as 20% attendance, students said they put safety above attendance. Some parents are also spooked by the Covid outbreak in engineering colleges and are reluctant to send their wards for classes.
Students took to social media to express their fears.
“In our college, at least six students residing in the hostel have tested positive. Despite that, college authorities have not provided an option to attend classes online and insisted on offline classes,” said a student at a prime private engineering college located in South Bengaluru.
The principal of a government engineering college said only 20% of the students showed up on Monday and others demanded shutting down of physical classes.
“Even parents are calling to urge us to cancel offline classes. Parents are worried because of the sudden spike in cases. But as college managements, we cannot decide unless the university or government decides so,” said the principal of an unaided private engineering college.
Meanwhile, students staying in community hostels are left in the lurch as the community trusts running the hostels have asked them to vacate.
“We don’t have alternative accommodation facilities in Bengaluru to attend offline classes,” a student said.
Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) Registrar (Administration) Prof A S Deshpande said some principals have reported low attendance at the varsity.
“The low attendance is mainly in Bengaluru because of the fear over Covid (outbreak),” he said.
The university directed colleges to have classes in a blended mode for the benefit of students who tested positive and for their primary contacts.
Physical classes for engineering colleges began after the government revised its order to let them conduct regular classes in the offline mode.
VTU's new academic calendar
Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) has revised the academic calendar for the third semester BE/BTech courses, fixing March 25 as the last working day for the odd semesters.
Practical examinations will be held from March 28 to 31, and theory exams will be held from April 1 to 20. Classes for even semesters will commence from May 2.