College, university campuses not to reopen immediately in Bengal

Colleges and universities inWest Bengal will not reopen campuses immediately, a seniorofficial said.

Laboratories will, however, be opened for the benefitof research scholars, spokesperson of the West Bengal Vice-Chancellors' Council (WBVCC) said after a meeting withEducation Minister Partha Chatterjee on Wednesday.

''Several VCs told the minister that with the COVID-19pandemic still raging, and students from outside Bengal andabroad studying in many universities and colleges here, itwill not be feasible to either reopen the hostels or campusesjust yet. The minister concurred with our views.

''Threfore, it was decided that classes and semesterexams should continue to be held through virtual mode atpresent,'' the spokesperson said.

Education institutions remained closed since March 17last year after the coronavirus outbreak.

The state government is exploring possibilities toreopen schools and begin classes in the higher grades fromFebruary 12 by conforming to COVID-19 protocols, Chatterjeehad said on Tuesday.

The Education Department would issue the necessarynotification and those concerned would come to know when theschools reopen, he said.