LAHORE: Vice chancellors (VCs) of all public sector universities of Punjab on Thursday recommended reopening of the campuses in phases from July 15.

The Punjab Higher Education Commission called a meeting of the VCs to discuss the issue of reopening of the universities as inter-provincial education ministers’ conference was convened on July 2 to set a timeline.

All educational institutions were closed by the government in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, most of the universities had started virtual/ online classes to save the precious time of millions of students. The government had also issued directions to promote all the students to next classes to avoid their educational loss due to this emergency situation.

However, thousands of students across the country had launched protest campaigns against the online classes mainly quoting internet connectivity and non-availability of gadgets to attend the classes. The universities also announced that those students having connectivity and other problems would be given extra classes after the resumption of conventional classes.

Recently, the Higher Education Commission announced guidelines and timelines for the reopening of universities and calling staff members and students to campuses.

The HEC uploaded a document on its website mentioning that HEC has surveyed the actions taken by universities in advanced countries.

In all cases, the decision has been taken by each university separately, based on its conditions. Ideally, we would like a similar pattern in Pakistan. The HEC will provide overall guidance, based on international best practices, and Pakistan’s particular conditions, including the governmental directives.

The HEC has announced reopening universities on July 15 in multiple phases but not all students will be called to attend on-campus classes.

In the first phase, only faculty members and students who are facing connectivity issues will be called to campus from July 15.

In the second phase, final year students and graduate students and students with house jobs or other practical requirements will be called from August 3 while students with lab requirements (e.g., science, medicine, engineering) from Aug 17, orientation session for new students on Sept 14 an in the last phase all new and old students allowed back on campus on Sept 15.

In a document uploaded on the HEC website, the HEC has surveyed the actions taken by universities in advanced countries. In all cases, the decision has been taken by each university separately, based on its conditions. Ideally, we would like a similar pattern in Pakistan. HEC will provide overall guidance, based on international best practices, and Pakistan’s particular conditions, including the governmental directives.

PHEC Chairman Fazal Ahmad Khalid told Dawn that the VCs had spoken to length about the issues and problems they could face for opening the institutions.

“They were of the view that some of the universities that fall under the areas where the government had imposed lockdown could not open, second some of the universities did not have financial position to take measures to ensure SOPs and need govt help to do this task, thirdly, the initiations should be reopened phase wise and first only Mphil and PhD students and their teachers should be called to open and other classes should be called later,” he said.

He said they were drafting a working paper of this meeting and would present it during the inter provincial coordination minister Shafqat Mehmood meeting on July 2.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2020