The crisis precipitated by the contagion of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has also given an opportunity for an in depth introspection and redefine our parameters which we had set in different fields, opined the registrar of Uttarakhand Technical University (UTU), Anita Rawat, while interacting with The Pioneer on Saturday.
The registrar, who apart from adroitly handling the administrative responsibilities, is also a noted academician said that the present situation has posed a challenge before all of us and everyone especially the younger generation should take up this challenge and come out with innovative ideas.
“This crisis has given us an opportunity to visualise things which have so far remained shrouded and has given us time for internal exploration. I think the world has changed drastically and now new strategies in every field including academics should be evolved. These strategies should keep humanitarian focal point. I firmly believe that we would come out of current phase strongly,’’ she quipped.
Rawat said that the university is following the guidelines issued by the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and University Grants Commission (UGC) from time to time on COVID-19. She said that the university has started the online classes for its students so that the loss of their regular classes can get compensated to some extent. Rawat further informed that the faculty members have been asked to attend different online faculty development programmes (FDP) to keep them updated and hone their teaching skills. On lockdown affecting the schedule of the university and common belief that the semester examination would be done away with this time and the students would be promoted on the basis of their performance in the internal assessments and assignments, Rawat said that the university is waiting the guidelines of UGC and AICTE in this respect.
She said that the university has decided that the students can take mandatory summer internship from their homes and if they are not able to do this, they can complete it in December this year.
The internship programmes are mandatory for the students of II, IV, VI and VIII semesters. The registrar added that the university is planning to start online placements for the students this year. She however believed that due to the negative effect the COVID-19 on the economy, the placements are expected to go down be at least 30 percent. Rawat opined that after even after the academic institutions are opened by the government, the social distancing would be a norm which everyone would have to adhere to it. She said that the number of the students in classrooms would be reduced to maintain the social distancing. The Registrar of UTU said that all the constituent colleges of the university have been asked to follow the government orders on payment of salaries of the staff during the period of lockdown.
About the University
The Uttarakhand Technical University (UTU) was set up in Dehradun in the year 2005 by the state government under Uttarakhand technical universities act-2005. The university has 98 affiliated colleges. The technical varsity has found constituent institutions at Tehri, Tanakpur (Champawat), Pithoragarh and Gopeshwar (Chamoli). More than 25000 students are enrolled in different courses of engineering and technology.