Summary
Students to be recalled to the campus in batches
Library and research facilities are already functional
St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata, will resume offline classes from February 21.
All final semester students of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Commerce, Arts, Science and Management will have to attend the offline classes, a notice issued by the college said. All students from all semesters of the BEd and Multimedia departments will also attend offline classes. Online classes will continue for the rest of the students till further notice.
The West Bengal government allowed educational institutions across the state to reopen campuses and resume in-person classes on February 3.
While offline classes are resuming later this month, the St. Xavier’s campus officially re-opened from February 3.
“The campus reopened on February 3. Staff and research scholars have been allowed to come in. The library will be open, too. We have students from all over India. We need to give them time to relocate, which is why classes are starting from February 21,” said Dominic Savio, the principal of St. Xavier's College (Autonomous), Kolkata.
The college will be reopening in phases. “The campus will be opening after almost two years. A lot of preparation is needed before the campus can be fully functional again. The planning process is underway but we are hoping that by July all students will be able to attend offline classes,” said Firdausul Hasan, honorary secretary of the St. Xavier's College (Autonomous), Kolkata, Alumni Association.
Strict COVID-safety protocol will be observed by the college authorities. “We have over 8,000 students and ensuring their safety is in our hands. Sticking to the government and health department guidelines, we have to make sure that sanitisation measures are in place.”
The college has asked staff and students to take precautions when offline classes resume. The doors and windows of classrooms are to be kept open to allow proper ventilation. There will be a mask mandate in place. Temperature check and sanitisation will take place before entering campus. Staff and students are expected to carry proof of vaccination.
“We have conducted vaccine camps where around 10,000 shots were administered. Students, staff and members of the public received shots at the camps. Thus, we expect the students to be vaccinated,” Hasan said.
The reopening of campuses had become essential for the wellbeing of students and to ensure academic continuity. “While closing the campus was inevitable, it has impacted students a lot. Through online classes, students were able to only learn theory. They missed out on years of college life. Xavier’s organises programmes, activities and events for learning and exposure which has been limited in the online model,” Hasan said.
“Just like a place of prayer without devotees, a college is incomplete without students. We are looking forward to seeing the same vibrance on the campus as things begin to normalise,” he said.
Last updated on 04 Feb 2022
