IIT Bombay Next Semester To Be Fully Online; Scraps Face-To-Face Lectures This Year

MUMBAI (Maharashtra): The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has decided to run its next semester completely online, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, becoming the first IIT to take the decision. In a midnight Facebook post, IIT Bombay director Subhasis Chaudhuri made the announcement and appealed for donations to help economically lesser privileged students.

This is the first time in the institute’s 62-year history that a new academic year will start with no students on campus.

“For IIT Bombay, students are the first priority. We took the first step in India in concretely deciding how we must bring a closure to the current semester to help our students,” Professor Subhasis Chaudhuri wrote in the post.

“But given the current condition of the pandemic, how do we plan for the next semester for our students? Again, after a long deliberation in the Senate, we have decided today that the next semester will be run purely in the online mode so that there is no compromise on the safety and well-being of the students,” he further said.

The semester for undergraduate and post-graduate courses is scheduled to begin in July. The post also had an appeal for donation for students “from economically less privileged families”.

“A large section of our students come from economically less privileged families and would require a helping hand to equip them with the IT hardware (i.e. laptops and broadband connectivity ) to take these online classes,” the post read.

Earlier this week, sources in the Education Ministry told media houses that pending board examinations and competitive tests for engineering and medical colleges are unlikely to be held in July. The Supreme Court will hear the matter today.

Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ”Nishank” on Wednesday asked the University Grants Commission (UGC) to revisit the guidelines for intermediate and terminal semester exams and the academic calendar. He said the foundation for revisited guidelines shall be the health and safety of students, teachers and staff.

from League of India