Maharashtra: Colleges and Universities to re-open from February 15 with 50% capacity

Mumbai : The colleges and universities in Maharashtra will reopen with 50 percent attendance from February 15, Higher and Technical Education Minister Uday Samant said on Wednesday (February 3). The 75 percent compulsory attendance rule has been waived off this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, informed Samant. Earlier, Samant had said that the government would soon announce its decision regarding the reopening of colleges in the state in a day or two.

The students and staff members will have to wear face masks and maintain social distancing inside the campuses. The Universities and colleges will have to provide sanitisers inside the campus.

Speaking about the examinations, Samant said that the universities will have to take decision regarding conducting exams online or offline.

The colleges in Maharashtra, along with all the other educational institutes in the state, were shut down in March 2020 in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who is also the chancellor of all the universities in the state, had last week also called a meeting of all the vice-chancellors to review annual audit, filling up vacant posts and preparations of the universities for starting physical classes. The vice-chancellors had demanded resumption of offline classes of colleges and universities without any delay. The government has allowed physical classes for students between Class 5 and Class 12 in phases, except in Mumbai