Kolkata: St Xavier’s University to resume on September 1

KOLKATA: St Xavier’s University, Kolkata, has become the first education institute to draw up comprehensive guidelines on the requirements for students to return to campus. It has also decided to commence the first-year undergraduate and post-graduate programmes from September 1.
Each class in the UG and PG departments will be divided into batches of 25 students that would be brought on campus on alternate days.“The academic year will begin with classroom interactions. Students will be taught online on the days they are away from campus. Thus, no syllabus will be missed,” said vice-chancellor Fr Felix Raj. He added that only one student will be allowed on one bench. In the first semester, the university has decided to hold 25%-30% of classes online.
The university will begin accepting online applications in August. “In a vice-chancellors’ meet last week, we agreed that uncertainty should not plague the students. Thus, we planned to hold the terminal semester examinations in both UG and PG programmes and to resume studies from September 1,” Raj said.
The university will conduct admission tests for two UG and all PG courses. “Instead of holding simultaneous exams on the same day, we will allow 200 students on the campus during admission tests for one subject at a time,” the VC added. The university runs 14 UG and PG courses along with an MBA programme.
While the UGC has already suggested beginning the the first-year programme from September, none of the universities in Bengal are eager to open campuses, fearing the pandemic. “We are aware of the UGC recommendations. But, we shall wait for a directive from the state. We do not want to get into any trouble or get blamed in case any student contracts the disease,” said a senior state university official.
A private university’s VC said classes will commence for their first-year students in October.