In view of the sudden surge of Covid-19 cases in the city, the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) has decided to conduct the classes in online mode for the rest of the semester. This decision has been taken for the safety of the students amid the second wave of the pandemic in the country.

The end-term exams for the students of even semesters will be conducted online in the open book format this year due to the surge in Covid-19 cases. These decisions were taken in a recent meeting chaired by the Vice-Chancellor of the university.

On March 22, the BHU administration had decided to suspend the offline classes being conducted on campus until further notice, keeping in mind the sudden surge of Covid-19 cases in the BHU hospital and hostel in the past few weeks.

Students asked to leave hostels

The notice issued by BHU said that all the classes and academic activities will now be conducted online and the examinations will also be conducted in Open Book (OBE) model for this semester, due to the current pandemic situation.

The BHU administration has also asked all the students to vacate the hostels and appear for the online exams from the safety of their own homes. “It would be in the interest of the students to take their books and study material and go to their home” the official notice states.

BHU administration, in its official notice, has told the parents and guardians of the students that “appropriate handling and due care of students” will not be feasible if COVID-19 infection spreads, due to “limited resources” at the university.

The staff and faculty members of the university are functioning as per their usual schedule from the university. The campus and hostels of the university will reopen once the Covid-19 situation is under control and reviewed by the administration.