VCs committed to avoid disruption in education as Covid-19 resurges
Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Vice Chancellors of all universities across the country have reiterated their commitment to ensure adherence to SOPs and government guidelines in view of the situation evolving out of the Covid-19 resurgence in Pakistan.
The 34th Vice Chancellors Committee meeting held online on Wednesday which was attended by a large number of Vice Chancellors and Rectors of the universities and institutes of higher education. The university heads reviewed the situation on campuses with regard to Corona epidemic, especially in the perspective of the feared second wave of the pandemic.
They said that the universities had taken a number of steps to cope with the situation, including strict implementation of SOPs in campuses, reducing the numbers of students in classrooms and hostels, and shifting to hybrid modes of instruction. “In fact, while the adherence to SOPs has dropped significantly in most of other public places, universities have tried hard to maintain their level of vigilance and provide good examples for others,” said the VCs.
They expressed their commitment to adhering to the guidelines issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) and the health authorities. Majority of the VCs said that they could switch to online or hybrid instruction, and limiting those who are allowed to enter the campus, in case the re-emergence of Coronavirus requires curtailment of public interaction.
The meeting also discussed other options for action, including enhancing counselling services for students as well as the general public, sharing of information and technical resources, and mutual learning from best practices. They also demanded the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to arrange better internet packages for students and faculty members in order to facilitate online interaction and education.
During the meeting, the Chairman HEC Prof Dr Tariq Banuri apprised the university heads of the decisions made in the last NCOC meeting. He emphasized, “We need to do the best we can to deter any disruption in the education system being caused by the situation evolving due to the Covid-19 recurrence.” He stressed that the universities need to prepare and look ahead as to how they could deal better any evolving situation.
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