Karnataka: All colleges to start offline classes from October 1
The Karnataka government on Wednesday announced that all colleges in the state would resume offline classes from October 1. Offline classes had earlier been suspended in light of the coronavirus outbreak. The decision comes even as there is a furor over the postponement of the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG). Here are more details.
Academic session starts September 1; offline classes from October
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Ashwath Narayana CN announced on Wednesday that offline classes will start from October 1 in all colleges. Students are expected to attend the offline classes from October, said Dr. Ashwath, who is also the Higher Education Minister. The academic session will start from September 1 for various degree courses, he said. Classes will be held online through September.
Preparations for safety measures underway
The Deputy CM said that preparations for COVID-19 related safety measures are underway as per the existing central guidelines. The department is awaiting fresh guidelines from the central government on conducting offline classes along with a few degree examinations in September. Final-year examinations will be scheduled for all undergraduate, diploma, and engineering students once the academic year starts.
You can view the Deputy CM's tweet here
We work with the sole intent of ensuring a bright future for our students. Once the academic year begins, final year exams will be scheduled for all undergraduate, diploma and engineering students. Backlog exams will also be conducted accordingly.
— Dr. Ashwathnarayan C. N. (@drashwathcn) August 26, 2020
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How bad is the outbreak in Karnataka?
As of Tuesday, Karnataka had reported a total of 2,91,826 COVID-19 cases, making it India's third worst-hit state. The death toll is 4,958, excluding 19 deaths due to "non-COVID causes." On Tuesday alone, the state registered 8,161 new cases, only the third time that daily new cases rose above 8,000. However, over two lakh patients in the state have recovered.
32.34 lakh cases across India; over 76% recovered
Overall, India reported a total of 32,34,474 cases till 8 am on Wednesday, according to the Union Health Ministry's tally, after witnessing a spike of 67,151 cases in the previous 24 hours. The total cases include 59,449 deaths, 7,07,267 active cases, and 24,67,758 recoveries.
Dr. Ashwath criticizes those calling for postponement of NEET, JEE
As the outbreak in India has shown no signs of letting up, there have been widespread calls to postpone the JEE and NEET. JEE exams are scheduled for September 1-6 and NEET for September 13. Criticizing those pushing for postponement, Dr. Ashwath told ANI on Wednesday, "People are working, economies are opening with unlockdown. We successfully held the CET examinations in Karnataka amidst COVID-19."
