Classroom teaching for students of undergraduate, postgraduate, engineering and diploma courses in Karnataka will resume on January 15, Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwath Narayana said on Monday.

Narayana, in charge of higher education, said after a meeting with officials concerned here that authorities were already holding offline classes for final-year students.

"NCC and NSS classes will also be resumed, apart from all hostel and bus facilities, as per the standard operating procedures (SOPs). The social welfare and backward class departments have been instructed to follow and implement the SOPs in their respective hostels," he said.

Karnataka Deputy CM Ashwathnarayan
Karnataka Deputy CM AshwathnarayanIANS

The SOPs are in place vis-a-vis college libraries and canteens, educational and cultural activities and sports, the Minister said and added that coronavirus testing camps will be set up for NCC students.

"Colleges will set up Covid-19 testing and sanitising facilities and follow social distancing norms," Narayana said.

Arrangements have been made to distribute bus passes to students at the earliest, regarding which the Road Transport Department had agreed to do the needful. He appealed to college managements to approach departmental offices in their vicinity to expedite the process of issuance of bus passes to students.

"There are also talks with Vice Chancellors of private and government universities in Karnataka to hold offline exams. The exam schedule will be issued at the earliest," the Minister said.

(With inputs from IANS)