Hyderabad: UoH PG online classes to resume on Aug 20

Hyderabad: The University of Hyderabad (UoH) has decided to resume classes in online mode for about 2000 ongoing post-graduate students in various programmes with effect from August 20.

It may be recalled that the University had suspended classes for all batches on March 15 and has since completed the evaluation process of final semester students, allowing them to graduate. A Task Force headed by senior professor and former dean of the Sarojini Naidu School of Arts & Communication, Vinod Pavarala held a wide-ranging consultations with various stakeholders, including students and faculty members, and received a number of suggestions by email on resumption of academic activities. Based on projections about the continuing spread of the Covid-19 epidemic and assessment of public health risks involved in holding physical classes on campus, the Task Force has recommended that the University start online teaching in a couple of weeks.

The recommendations were discussed and approved on Thursday at a meeting of Heads of Department and Deans of Schools convened by the Vice-Chancellor. The Vice-Chancellor has reiterated the University's resolve to deliver high-quality education to thousands of students who chose to study at UoH with a lot of hopes and aspirations.

Cognizant of the difficulties that some students are likely to face with costs of connectivity, the University has also accepted the recommendation of the Task Force to re-purpose the existing BBL (boarding allowance) scholarship of Rs 1000 a month into a Digital Access Grant (DAG) to students from deprived backgrounds. The Vice-Chancellor has also announced the University's plan to shore up ICT infrastructure at the department level or at the level of individual faculty members to enable them to effectively deliver online teaching.

The University had earlier initiated a process, based on the Task Force recommendations, to permit the phased return of research scholars from science schools, initially allowing only day-scholars in Hyderabad who are in advanced stages of their experimental work in 'wet' labs and in projects with tight deadlines. Semester registration for all M Phil and PhD students is in process, with the general advice to continue to work from their homes until further notice, except where special permissions have been granted as in the science schools.