Bengaluru: Henceforth, Saturday classes at engineering colleges under the umbrella of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) will be held online. The colleges usually hold classes on the second, fourth, and fifth Saturdays, while the first and third are holidays. With the new decision, which comes into effect immediately, students will no longer need to travel to college for Saturday classes.
“The decision has been taken in support of the national fuel conservation initiative and to promote efficient utilisation of natural resources,” stated a circular from the varsity dated June 13.
“University Grants Commission (UGC) permits blended learning at a 60:40 ratio, with 60 being offline and 40 online. Here, we are going online only twice a month,” said S Vidyashankar, vice-chancellor of VTU.
“This is part of the austerity measures the nation is taking. We’ll also make a contribution to conserve fuel as there are news items on shortage of fuel. We have lakhs of students studying under VTU. By conducting online classes on the remaining Saturdays, students will avoid commuting to college. This will save fuel, reduce traffic congestion, and also abate air pollution,” he added.
The proposal was discussed at a recent executive committee meeting, where it was unanimously approved. This will apply to all 220 engineering colleges under VTU’s jurisdiction, covering nearly 3 lakh students.
Principals of all colleges — constituent, affiliated, autonomous, schools of architecture, and university departments of VTU Belagavi — have been instructed to adopt the new system and make necessary preparations. Teachers will conduct classes from campus. No decision has been taken regarding whether non-teaching staff should attend college.
“Only theory classes will be held online on Saturdays. Practical classes will be held on the remaining days, when classes are offline,” the VC added.
