The three colleges run by Ramakrishna Mission in Kolkata and its adjoining areas will start their first-year undergraduate classes in September on online platforms.
Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, Belur, will start classes on September 6.
Classes at Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, Rahara, will start in the middle of September and at Ramakrishna Mission Residential College, Narendrapur, between September 15 and 30.
The government-aided colleges and universities are to start classes on October 1.
Swami Ekachittananda, the principal of Vidyamandira, said: “One of the reasons why we want to start early is that we will have a NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) team visiting the campus in the third week of September. A section of the teachers will be busy for the visit. An early start will lead to completion of the syllabus faster.”
Teachers will hold classes through teleconference for those who don’t have access to the Internet or lack a smartphone, said an official of the college.
Last year, the college had started first-year classes on digital platforms on October 3.
Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, Rahara, will start first-year online classes in the middle of September, said principal Swami Kamalasthananda.
The college had last year commenced the classes on October 1. Although the college does not have hostels, the authorities will consider requests of students to use the WiFi facility on the campus to attend classes, the principal said.
Ramakrishna Mission Residential College (Autonomous), Narendrapur, will start classes between September 15 and 30, principal Swami Shastrajnananda said.
“Although we are starting classes on online platforms, students encountering resource constraints can come to the college and use the connectivity facility on the campus. Those students have to apply,” said a college official.