Campus Reopening Status across IITs
The Scholars’ Avenue, IIT Kharagpur from various sources succinctly compiled the status and procedures of reopening in various IITs in order to provide an impetus to the administration of IIT Kharagpur to develop a plan of action of reopening our resplendent campus.
IIT Madras
22nd June 2021,
The reopening of the institute was dependent on the state’s medical authority because they were responsible for making arrangements concerning medical requirements. MHRD had permitted all IITs to allow research scholars to continue their work but due to the second wave, they had to stop inviting them until normalcy returned. They proposed to call students back in batches after they were permitted to do so. Like all other IITs, the limited number of resources in terms of single occupancy rooms hindered the speed at which they could call students back. They also made it mandatory for students to be fully vaccinated before they arrived and that no compromises could be made in this regard. The final year students would be called first in the order of M.Tech., M.Sc., Dual-Degree, MBA, B.Tech, and MA., in batches of 300. They planned to pack the graduated (2020 & 2021) students’ belongings and courier them to their residential address with some help from the Indian Postal Service to help ease the burden on the hostels to provide individual rooms to students who are coming back to the campus. They intended to form a bio-bubble with all the vaccinated students and decided to take precautionary measures which ensured very strict restrictions on movement beyond campus for all hostel residents. With regards to student facilities, such as the mess and the restrooms, they would limit dining to two users per table, increase the number of slots in the mess and allow take-ways. Frequent tests would be taken if a student is showing related symptoms and when the suspected cases are more than three, they would conduct compulsory saturation tests for all the residents in the hostel. Once a test is taken, one is isolated and food is delivered to the respective individual. Restrictions and containment zones would be decided by the medical authority subject to the number of COVID-19 cases. A hybrid model was proposed for the placement and intern drives and many of the events could be conducted and attended online. For activities involving on-ground presence, the movement would be restricted. Institute eateries would have restrictions on mass gatherings. Alternatives open to them are takeaways and hostel deliveries. During working hours, the institute hospital would attend to regular prescriptions and mild sickness. Nevertheless, they proposed that many activities may be carried out in a hybrid environment. Students without basic gadgets, internet facilities, or internet connectivity were helped via a fund where the fund has been used to loan out money to such students to buy a laptop of their choice, acquire internet facilities, or pay for a good rental paying-guest space in a nearby town with good internet connectivity. The loan does not have any interest and can be repaid even after four years when they can.
24th July 2021,
The Dean of Students sent an email to M.A., Dual Degree final-years, M.Tech. and M.Sc. second-years, asking students who are willing to return to campus for research to fill a form.
One thousand students would be called back over the next two months in batches of 200 and the first arriving between 3rd and 4th August 2021 and can only return to campus in the pre-specified window. RT-PCR tests of returning students would be taken upon arrivals and movement would be restricted severely. They will be quarantined during which they would be delivered food in their rooms and would be provided temporary utilities. After the quarantine period ends, they would be shifted to a normal hostel and assigned messes and mess timings as mentioned before. They would be mapped restrooms as well to ensure more safety. After four months, if the situation does not improve, students will be required to vacate their rooms to give way to other batches. If it improves, they may be allowed to stay back whilst other batches are called to return.
25th August 2021,
The TN Government issued an order permitting colleges to conduct classes on a rotational basis, starting 1st September 2021. However, the institute stuck to its original plan of reopening and so far 1,300 students have returned to the campus and if the third wave is not intense because of vaccinations or if the situation improves down the line, student intake might increase 3 fold. As of 3rd September 2021, the plan is that the 2020 batch will be prioritized after the B.Tech. final-years who are scheduled to be called back in the Jan-May 2022 semester
IIT Delhi
In February 2021, IIT Delhi opened an online onboarding portal for any student to put up a request to board along with reasons which get passed by 8 authorities before approval.
Seemingly a smooth process, it has however been said to have struggled with a lack of transparency and an apparent arbitrariness in who gets approved for boarding, with students having similar issues treated differently in some cases. The system is also plagued by some students making questionable claims about their situation and lacks proper checks to verify these claims.
The Assistant Dean of Student Welfare has alluded to a pattern of false reasons, and constraints in what can be done to verify the students’ claims as reasons for these complications.
On the campus, students are required to wear masks in public spaces. Despite some instances of rules being flouted, mask mandates are enforced through fines and are largely followed. It has proven to be more difficult for the authorities to enforce social distancing effectively.
IIT Delhi had over 700 UG students onboard the campus by the 10th of August 2021.
IIT Kanpur
On Sep 1st 2020, the hostels were reopened for research students and around 280 PhD students after a gap of almost 6 months. Students went under mandatory 14-day quarantine in designated hostels after which they continued their research work.
IIT Kanpur is currently in the process of recalling its Postgraduate students. At the time of writing this, there are around 2,500 students on campus, all of them currently enrolled in a postgraduate course at IITK. The last batch of postgraduate students would be arriving by the end of October.
On the Undergraduate front, the Student Body plans to make proposals in two parts, recalling resource-constrained students; and recalling the 2018 batch.
Thus far only the first, ie, recalling of resource-constrained students has been presented to the Administration. Unfortunately even this has been met with hesitation from the administration who have cited medical emergencies as a roadblock. A final meeting is scheduled with department heads where this will once again be discussed
According to the administration, the research work conducted by postgraduates is vital, due to which they have been called back as soon as possible. At the moment plans for other undergraduate students, vaccinated or otherwise, seem far-fetched and are contingent on the overall situation improving.
There were claims that the campus was “forcing” students out of hostels when the second wave hit and cases were rising in the Institute and in Kanpur with students claiming that the administration was insensitive to people facing problems. The institute clarified by saying that they had only requested them to leave and that more than 20% of the student population were still on campus. They did so because they believed that the students who occupy shared accommodations were at risk where the chances of infection are very high. Out of the 20%, the 100 infected were quarantined and given medical assistance to ensure quick recovery as well as to stop further spread of the infection on the campus.
● Last batch of PG by end of October
● Senate meeting scheduled to lay down a plan to recall resource-constrained UG students
● Approximately 2500 ppl are there on campus, all of them being PG students. So, maybe by October, undergraduates too will be there
The Student Body of the institution has already requested a Senate Meeting to address a plan to recall resource-constrained undergraduate students, however, there are no concrete plans in place at the moment. The Student Body hopes to begin the recall as soon as possible and ensure that appropriate safety protocols are put in place in due time.
IIT Guwahati
IIT Guwahati was one of the first IITs who had called back students but had to send them back due to the second wave. With the second wave pretty much under control, they have once again actively taken the initiative to call back students following covid appropriate protocols.
According to a recent email from the dean, priority would be given to fully vaccinated students followed by partially vaccinated students and a revised protocol would be formulated keeping this in mind. Accordingly, students were instructed to take the vaccine as soon as possible. The email also included a circular from the state government which allowed educational institutes to conduct physical classes for partially vaccinated students above 18 years of age.
From the students of IIT Guwahati, we came to know that students were earlier required to undertake a 7-day quarantine followed by RTPCR testing. With the batches arriving from September, the process has been made smoother by reducing the quarantine period to just 2 days and RT PCR testing is performed on the third day itself. The process is even quicker for fully vaccinated students. Priority of calling back students was given to MTech students followed by final year students. The 2020 batch is expected to arrive by January 2022.
IIT Bombay
As the number of COVID-19 cases began to decline in November-December 2020 and the travel restrictions were being relaxed slowly, IIT Bombay began calling back its students. According to a report, 2000 students had returned to the institute by Feb 2021. The institute has reopened its campus for students in three categories on a voluntary basis. The institute has given first priority to those students who have a need for lab for research and other purposes, second, for those students who are in their final year and want to spend time working and lastly for those who are facing technical difficulties in pursuing virtual education such as no internet network or electric power failure in remote areas. However, it is to note that this was before the 2nd wave of COVID struck.
Currently, most, if not all, resource-constrained students are on campus with students part of various institute bodies and tech teams coming in. PhD and Masters+PhD dual degree students from 2012 to 2016 batches from Bombay as well as other cities have been called back. Due to a paucity of quarantine rooms, no more forms are being sent out; it’ll be resumed post-mid-semester examinations. Proper COVID norms and restrictions are being followed with regular temperature checks of students and faculty. Everyone is required to wear masks and maintain social distance on campus.
IIT Roorkee
A notice dated July 14th, 2021 at IIT Roorkee announced the formation of a committee that was constituted to make suitable plans to start allowing the students back on campus in small batches. It looked to see that the number of students in any Bhawan, or on the campus as a whole would be increased in a gradual manner.
Another notice dated August 24th, mentioned the design of a Booking Portal, that would collect information regarding the vaccination status of students availing full tuition fee waiver. The portal requires a student who has received either one or both doses of the vaccination, to upload the certificate indicating the same. It also requires a student to mention the allocation status of the hostel.
Current status of the number of students on campus- PhD students who have received both doses of vaccination have been called back. Students with resource constraints relating to needs like internet connectivity have received guidelines about being called back. The details of the vaccination status of final-year students have also been collected.
References:
https://www.t5eiitm.org/interview-with-dost-reopening-and-beyond/
https://www.t5eiitm.org/insti-unlocks-final-years-called-back/
https://www.t5eiitm.org/tn-govt-permits-colleges-to-reopen-what-next-for-iitm/
https://www.instagram.com/bsp.iitdelhi/
https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/national/iit-kanpur-asks-students-to-vacate-hostels
Various trusted anonymous sources from the respective IITs
