Preparations are underway at Dhaka University to welcome students back to dormitories in phases from the first week of October after a year-and-a-half closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, reports bdnews24.com.
The university administration has prepared a roadmap and students will be allowed back on the condition of maintaining strict health regulations to reduce risks.
Students will not be allowed to occupy the open floors of residential halls for temporary accommodation. The university’s 19 halls house a huge number of students, more than twice their capacity. The housing crisis has largely led the first-year students to set up floor beds in large halls. The control of who would reside in these rooms used to be in the hands of the leaders of the ruling party's student wing. Despite the promises made by authorities and some initiatives, the problem has lingered.
Students will not be allowed to crowd spaces in large numbers, according to hall presidents. Only valid students will be able to reside in the halls after getting vaccinated. Those who have finished their studies will have to leave the halls. Students who previously stayed on the open floors will be allotted empty seats.
Meanwhile, the authorities have set a meeting for Sept 07 with leaders of 13 student organisations on campus hygiene and the feasibility of bringing students back to the halls.
“The current decision has not been taken under normal circumstances. We are living in a risky environment amid the pandemic. We have to reopen halls while bearing in mind the reality of the situation. Action will be taken against anyone who stays in the halls after completing their studies,” Proctor Prof AKM Golam Rabbani said.
Rabbani hoped that student leaders would also cooperate with the Environment Council to enforce health restrictions on campus.
Dhaka University, like other educational institutions, has been shut since March 2020 after the coronavirus was first detected in the country.
In the first phase of reopening, honours fourth year and master’s students will be welcomed into the halls on a priority basis. Following the completion of their exams, honours first-, second-, and third-year students will be allowed in from November in the second phase.
University Vice-Chancellor Prof Akhtaruzzaman said: "We are moving forward with our reopening plan. The presidents of the halls are working according to the instructions we’ve given.”
Several residential halls, including Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall, Jagannath Hall, Salimullah Muslim Hall and Bijoy Ekattor Hall, have installed handwashing basins at entrances. Dining rooms, canteens, cafeterias, reading rooms, toilets and bathrooms are being cleaned. Some renovation work is also underway on campus. The grass is being trimmed and new flowers are being planted.
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE FOR HALLS
The university's Provost Standing Committee has prepared a standard operating procedure to guide students amid the pandemic.
“The SOP is divided into three parts - housing, hygiene and medical care. In the case of housing, it has been decided that a residential student cannot set up a floor bed under any circumstances. The surroundings of the room should be kept clean and tidy. A large room can accommodate a maximum of four students,” said Prof Abdul Bashir, the chairman of the provost standing committee.
A student must put on a mask while leaving the room, Bashir said. They must wash their hands before entering their halls. Students must avoid spitting in random places and avoid crowding in mosques and canteens.
“We cannot think that the pandemic has passed. We must take precautions to continue our lives amid this situation. We will have to follow various restrictions.”
"If a student has any chronic illness, he should inform the hall administration. A student will be placed in quarantine at the medical centre if he tests positive for the coronavirus.”
If the number of patients is high, the guest rooms of the physical education centre of the university will be converted into medical rooms by coordinating with the medical centre, he said.
"We will not be having any more public rooms. The students there will be allotted seats on merit.”
