60% attendance at Karnataka medical colleges on Day One of reopening

The medical colleges in the state, which were opened on Tuesday almost after eight months, witnessed a good student turnout with over 60% attendance on the first day.

The authorities of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) have expected that the students’ attendance would reach 90% in the next three days.

Vice-Chancellor Dr Sachidanand said, “On Day One itself, we have received a very good response where over 60% of the MBBS students attended the offline classes and in the next three days this will cross 90%.”

The RGUHS conducted a Google Survey to get the attendance details from all its affiliated colleges.

According to the principals of various medical colleges in Bengaluru, one of the reasons for the high number of students attending offline classes was because of clinical exposure. “It is necessary for MBBS students to get practical knowledge and hands-on experience and this is also one of the reasons for good students turnout on day one itself,” a principal of a private medical college said.

Dr V T Venkatesha, dean and principal of Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Bengaluru, said, “At our college, the total attendance for offline classes was almost 70%. It takes time for outside Karnataka students to report to colleges and once they are in, the attendance will be 100%.”

Medical colleges have rearranged the bed occupancy at hostel rooms from four sharing to two sharing and two sharing rooms to single sharing. To ensure hygiene, safety of students and to maintain social distance the colleges have made these arrangements by following the Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) issued by the university.

The students were happy to return to colleges after eight months as the colleges were closed since March due to Covid-19 pandemic and nationwide lockdown. “I felt like a fresher when I entered the college today after a long gap,” Chintan, a final year MBBS student, said.

“The safety measures at the college were excellent and none of us were allowed without a Covid-19 test report and a self and parent consent letter,” said another student.

“Though we were given the online option, I preferred to attend physical classes as nothing can match classroom teaching,” Maanasi Pramod, another MBBS student, said.

However, compared to students’ turnout rate of higher education on Day One, medical students have reported in more numbers. Even after a week, the attendance at higher education (UG and PG) was not more than 20%.