Karnataka medical colleges reopened, 60 percent attendance marked on the first day
Karnataka: Following the reopening of medical colleges in Karnataka on Tuesday, the MBBS and BDS medicos have also shown their enthusiasm to rejoin the institutions as a 60% attendance has been recorded on the very first day of the classes
The institutions were kept closed for almost 8 long months due to the pandemic and during the time online classes were held, but practical classes had to be suspended. The Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) authorities are speculating that the number of attendees will increase within the next three days and the institutions are most likely to secure 90% attendance.
Vice-Chancellor Dr. Sachidanand said, "On Day One itself, we have received a very good response where over 60% of the MBBS students attended the offline classes and in the next three days this will cross 90%."
This suggests that medical students indeed supported the decision of reopening the colleges as gaining necessary practical knowledge is crucial before they appear for their exams. The students were happy to return to colleges after eight months as the colleges were closed since March due to the Covid-19 pandemic and nationwide lockdown. PTI reports that the RGUHS conducted a Google Survey to get the attendance details from all its affiliated colleges.
According to the principals of various medical colleges in Bengaluru, one of the reasons for the high number of students attending offline classes was because of clinical exposure. "It is necessary for MBBS students to get practical knowledge and hands-on experience and this is also one of the reasons for good student turnout on day one itself," a principal of a private medical college said.
Dr. V T Venkatesha, dean and principal of Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), Bengaluru, said, "At our college, the total attendance for offline classes was almost 70%. It takes time for outside Karnataka students to report to colleges and once they are in, the attendance will be 100%."
Bed occupancy at hostel rooms has also been changed by the authorities to avoid overcrowding of space during the pandemic. The rooms which were supposed to be shared by four will be shared by two and two sharing rooms have been converted into single sharing. To ensure hygiene, the safety of students, and to maintain social distance the colleges have made these arrangements by following the Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) issued by the university.
As per a report by PTI, "I felt like a fresher when I entered the college today after a long gap," a final year MBBS student, said. "The safety measures at the college were excellent and none of us were allowed without a Covid-19 test report and a self and parent consent letter," said another student.
"Though we were given the online option, I preferred to attend physical classes as nothing can match classroom teaching," another MBBS student said. However, compared to students' turnout rate of higher education on Day One, medical students have reported in more numbers. Even after a week, the attendance at higher education (UG and PG) was not more than 20%.
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