Delhi University to reopen for final-year students from today amid strict COVID-19 guidelines

Delhi University will reopen from today amid strict COVID-19 guidelines. Read further to know more. 

Delhi University colleges are all set to reopen today; i.e February 1, 2021, for the final-year students after a gap of nearly ten months. The Delhi University will reopen for the students who wish to use college facilities for practices. However, most of the college hostels will continue to remain unavailable.

“Only final-year students in small batches are allowed to visit their respective colleges/ centres/departments for laboratory/ practical/skills, library and other related activities as per discretion of respective principal/ director/ head in line with University Grants Commission guidelines and SOPs dated November 5, 2020, and MHA order dated January 27, 202,” read a notice issued by registrar Vikas Gupta, ordering that all teaching staff must be at work from Monday.

While students may go to their colleges on a voluntary basis for practical work, theory classes will continue to be held online.

Owing to the Coronavirus outbreak and to contain the spread the varsity has been kept closed for the past ten months. In order to maintain social distancing, different colleges have adopted different methods to call students. 

Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC) has put up a roster of teachers available on different days for practical classes. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya (DDU) College will conduct all practical classes of one class on one day of the week, while theory classes will continue online for the rest of the week.

Principals of Ramjas College and IP College for Women told that since there are no directions from the University as of now, the hostel facilities will continue to remain unavailable. 

At Miranda House, the hostel has been available to students who need the facility for various reasons such as writing exams. Principal Bijayalaxmi Nanda said they are considering making it available for current residents who want to return to Delhi for their practicals. “There are some ground rules — getting an RT-PCR test before coming, a quarantine period, only single occupancy in rooms, residents limiting their movement outside the campus. We have kept our staff in full strength and have provided food even if its only for two students. We will look at accommodating final-year residents on a priority basis as well… we can’t push them to pay guest facilities,” said Nanda told a media house.

DDU College principal Hem Chand Jain said: “We sought applications from third-year students who felt they needed hostel facilities; only five students across our two hostels said they do. Since it’s a small number, we can make our rooms available as single-seaters. However, the mess won’t be available since it’s not economically or practically possible to re-open for such a small number. But we are in touch with a nearby tiffin service for them.”

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