West Bengal shuts schools, colleges till March 31 in view of COVID-19
The West Bengal government on Saturday said all educational institutions in the state will remain closed till March 31 in the wake of coronavirus pandemic. Officials said there will be a review of the situation on March 30, following which further decision will be taken.
The West Bengal government on Saturday (March 14) said all educational institutions in the state will remain closed till March 31 in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
In a notification issued on Saturday, the government said internal examinations of these institutions will also remain suspended during this period. However, board examinations will continue as per schedule, it said.
Officials said there will be a review of the situation on March 30, following which further decision will be taken.
Meanwhile, the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (IIT-KGP) and the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), Shibpur, have also suspended academic activities till March 31 as a precautionary measure in view of the coronavirus threat.
IIT-KGP director V K Tewari said students and residents staying in the campus have been advised not to travel outside it, while students living outside the campus have been asked to stay at home.
“All seminars, conferences and workshops have been postponed until further notice,” Tewari said in a statement said on Friday. Entry to the campus would be regulated by security personnel.
Students will be able to avail online facilities for classroom courses while laboratory courses would remain suspended until further notice, the director said.
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At the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), Shibpur, all classes have been suspended till March 31, Registrar Biman Bandyopadhyay said.
He said students have been asked not to leave the hostel compound and go outside only when required. “Those students who are outside have been advised not to enter the campus now till the situation improves.
The faculty has been asked to take online classes while the director will be informed how the decision is being monitored, said Bandyopadhyay.
The Visva-Bharati University had on Friday directed all students, except foreign nationals, to immediately vacate their hostel rooms in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak and suspend all classes till March 31.
(With inputs from agencies)
