Bhubaneswar: With the improvement in the Covid-19 situation in the State, the Higher Education Department on Saturday ordered commencement of physical classroom teaching for first year undergraduate classes from 20 September.
The class room teaching for the degree first year students of all State-run universities, government and private degree colleges across the State will start from 20 September. All student hostels will be reopened on September 19, Higher Education Principal Secretary Saswat Mishra said.
The universities and colleges across the State have been asked to adhere to the Covid safety guidelines after resuming classroom teaching.
Accordingly, the order restricted students and teachers residing in containment zones from attending classes and advised that all should wear face masks and wash hands frequently, preferably with sanitizers.
The authorities have tried to enforce self-monitoring health guidelines and prevented spitting on the campus and insisted on maintaining social distance in the new academic session.
If need be, crowded classes can be divided into batches and teaching hours in a day can be extended, Mr.Mishra said.
Spitting on campus has been strictly prohibited. Self-monitoring of health and reporting of illness should be encouraged, he told the college authorities. All the institutions have also been directed to keep an isolation room ready for any emergency.
The authorities, however, have not taken any decision with regard to commencement of first semester and first year classes of post-graduate studies.