Authorities of the North Bengal University (NBU) have planned alternative classes for post-graduate students of the varsity and also for students who are pursuing undergraduate courses in colleges affiliated to NBU.

Offline classes for PG and UG courses will start from November 16 across Bengal and classes of different semesters would be held on alternative slots or days.

“If the first semester students of a department take an offline class, the third-semester students will have an online class for that day. If the infrastructure of the department is adequate, then offline classes will be held in morning and evening slots,” said a source.

Pranab Ghosh, the registrar, said students who have science subjects will have their practical classes in the morning and theory classes in the evening. “If first semester students take practical classes in the morning, then the third-semester students will have practical classes in evening.”

According to him, colleges which are under NBU will follow the same protocol. Initially, colleges will conduct classes for first, third and fifth semesters. “As the colleges open for six days a week, there will be an extra day which students can avail,” the registrar added.

Following the state’s directive, the classrooms, both at the varsity and in the college, have been sanitised. “Arrangements have been made to keep sanitisers and thermal guns in each class,” said a varsity official.

Sources revealed that most of the 4,000-odd PG students and more than 9,400 students who study in nine colleges located in and around Siliguri, have received at least one dose of Covid vaccine.

New course

In another development, NBU is all set to introduce a new postgraduate course in women studies from this session.

So far, the varsity only had a centre for this subject for research scholars but now students can get an MA degree in it.

“There are 20 seats for the course and two permanent faculty members. We hope the course will gain popularity in due course,” the registrar said.