All graduating students who will visit IIT Kharagpur to receive their degrees at the institute’s 67th convocation scheduled on December 18 must come with a Covid-19 double vaccination certificate and a negative RT-PCR Covid test report a day before the ceremony.
Registrar Tamal Nath said the students would be allowed to enter the campus on production of Covid-19 vaccination certificate and RT-PCR Covid-19 negative report at the gate of the institute.
“The RT-PCR Covid-19 report must be done after December 14,” says a notice signed by Nath. Unlike the 66th convocation that was held on February 23 (this year) when only 75 out of 2,815 students were invited, this time all the graduating students have been invited to the campus in strict adherence to the Covid safety protocol.
This year 2,900-odd students would be graduating — undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD put together.
“Due to the present pandemic no parents/guardians/relatives of the students are allowed in the convocation,” the notice says.
Those who want to receive their degree in-person have been asked to come to the campus a day before the event as they have to attend a full-scale rehearsal of the convocation, said an official of the institute.
Guidelines for the convocation to be circulated on December 17 will also specify among others, the safety norms that are going to be followed during the occasion.
“Cases are still being reported across the country. The campus had to be shut down twice over the past 20 months because of the spike of cases. So we want to exercise as much caution as possible,” he said.
Even as the Bengal government has allowed reopening of institutions from November 16, classes are being held in online mode as a precaution against Covid at IIT.
While calling students encountering resource constraints at home to the campus to enable them attend online classes from the WiFi-enabled hostels, the institute allowed entry with a rider that the returnees must be double vaccinated and have RT-PCR negative report.
“The same caution is being followed during the convocation as well,” said an official. The institute has uploaded the dress code for boys and girls that would have to be followed at the convocation.
The convocation participants also have to register on December 17 from 9.30am to 12.30pm at Nalanda Classroom complex. Five dignitaries would be conferred the Life Fellow Awards at the convocation.