Degree   and post-graduate students and their teachers opting for regular classes in their respective colleges from November 17 onwards will have to get a Covid-19 negative certificate.

BENGALURU: Degree and post-graduate students and their teachers opting for regular classes in their respective colleges from November 17 onwards will have to get a Covid-19 negative certificate. The students will also have to get a written consent from their parents for letting them attend classes in person. These are some of the standard operating protocols (SOPs) released by the State Government on Monday in preparation for offline classes for degree and postgraduate courses.

However, while colleges will now open their doors, the government has not restricted online classes, although those who opt for online classes will have contact classes for solving their doubts. While masks are mandatory for all, the teaching faculty are advised to wear masks as well as face shields. Up to 50 per cent of students can be asked to come to classrooms per batch on a rotational basis decided by the colleges.

The teaching time at colleges can be extended or modified by the teachers. However, libraries and canteens at colleges will not be allowed to open. The SOPs state that it is mandatory for teachers, students and other staff of respective institutions to undergo an RT-PCR test three days prior to starting the classes and only those testing negative will be allowed to attend offline classes. Colleges must also reserve a room for Covid- 19 emergencies with firstaid kits and pulse oxymeter.

The principal has to create a special task force of teaching and non-teaching staff to handle emergencies, while vicechancellors will have to set up similar task forces at the university level. Colleges are asked to take continuous feedback from students and encourage exercises — like yoga and pranayama with social distancing — to increase immunity. Colleges should ensure thermal scanning, social distancing at entrances and exits and install sanitising facilities.

In an elaborate 12-page SOPs, the government has laid emphasis on teaching and non-teaching staff ensuring safety protocols at the colleges, and spreading awareness about hygienic practices and mental health to keep Covid-19 at bay. A tollfree counselling helpline fo r students (0804611007) has also been set up for the purpose. The national helpline for telecounselling is 84454440632. Besides, colleges will have to ensure mapping with the nearest Primary Health Centre.

While not giving clear guidelines on person-limit per room in the hostels, the SOPs state that all categories of hostels, both private and those under the education department, have to follow health guidelines already issued by the Backward Classes and Social Welfare Departments. Each district will have a monitoring and coordination committee, chaired by the district deputy commissioner, and nine members including the Zilla Panchayat CEO, officials from transport, health, social and minority welfare and education departments.

Bengaluru: The disciplinary committee of Karnataka Congress has urged its leaders and workers to desist from making public statements about the party’s future state leadership after some of them aired divergent views on who would head the government if the party comes to power.

Expressing concern over such discussions in public, the committee felt it would be advisable to leave this matter to the time when the question of leadership would arise, a party release said here on Sunday.

Recently, a few leaders had issued statements proposing names of party’s state unit president D K Shivakumar and legislature party leader Siddaramaiah as their Chief Ministerial candidates on coming to power. The tenure of the current BJP government is till 2023.

“In a meeting held on November 5, the KPCC Disciplinary Action Committee noted with concern the differing views being expressed by leaders of the party on the question of future leadership of the legislature party,” Committee Chairman K Rahman Khan said in the release.

He said that the committee requested all the elected representatives, leaders, office-bearers and workers of the party to desist from such public statements in the interest of party unity.

“It would be better if party leaders and workers engage themselves in organising the party and work with an aim to bring the party to power in the interest of our state.

Siddaramaiah will be the Chief Minister once again while a few of his party colleagues, including Rajya Sabha Member G C Chandrashekhar, MLA Sowmya Reddy, and Hanumantharayappa had reportedly claimed that Shivakumar will occupy the top post on Congress coming to power.

Declining to comment on him being projected as the next chief minister by some party colleagues, Shivakumar had said “first, our party should come to power. Then, the high command and legislators will decide who the CM should be….”

However, KPCC working president Eshwar Khandre said exit polls can go wrong. “The BJP is in power and it could look like they are winning.

BENGALURU: If the exit poll is anything to go by, the ruling BJP is likely to win both Sira and RR Nagar Assembly bypolls. The Congress, however, was sceptical of the exit poll and expressed confidence that the party would win both seats.  

According to the exit poll, BJP candidate N Munirathna will win in RR Nagar, Congress candidate H Kusuma will stand second and JDS candidate Krishnamurthy third. In Sira, BJP candidate Dr Rajesh Gowda will breast the victory tape, leaving behind Congress’ TB Jayachandra and JDS candidate Ammajamma in the second and third spots, said news television channels, citing the exit poll conducted by CVoter. 

However, KPCC working president Eshwar Khandre said exit polls can go wrong. “The BJP is in power and it could look like they are winning. But voters know better, and they are in our favour. Our internal survey says Congress will win both seats,” he told TNSE. People are unhappy with the BJP government as there is no development, he added. 

BJP National Secretary C T Ravi, concurring with the exit poll, said the BJP’s internal report as well as chief minister’s intelligence report favour the party in both constituencies.  “We will win RR Nagar by 25,000 lead and in Sira by 15,000,’’ Ravi said.  

From the beginning, BJP was confident of winning RR Nagar. “In Sira, though initially we had a 50:50 chance, clarity emerged in later stages. When the polling was just one week away, it was clear that the BJP would win in Sira,’’ he added.  CM BS Yeddyurappa too had expressed confidence of winning both seats with a big margin.