Highlights:
- Students told to appear for final exams in person
- College asks students to get quarantined in premises
- College also asks students to take COVID-19 tests before leaving their respective city
Amidst the surge in COVID-19 cases in India, a private dental college close to Pune city in Maharashtra has asked more than 150 of its students to give the examinations in person in September after being quarantines in the college premises for 2 weeks.
Students of both Under Graduation (UG) and Post Graduation (PG) dental courses of the D Y Patil Dental College and Hospital in Pimpri have said that they have been asked to take the Coronavirus tests before they leave their respective cities and reach the college at least 14 days before the start of the exams so they can be quarantined in college itself.
Both the students and their parents have demanded the college to postpone the exams given the situation of COVID-19 in India, especially Maharashtra which has been the epicentre.
However, the college authorities have said that all the safety measures including screening process, social distancing and sanitization will be done during this period.
They said that the exams were scheduled for the first half of the year, however, due to the Coronavirus pandemic it had to be postponed.
A relative of a student said, “The management has asked the students to come to the college by the first week of September and get quarantined for two weeks before appearing for the exam in the third week of that month.”
He added, “Everyone knows the situation in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad. Besides, there is a COVID-19 isolation facility on the college campus. Despite all this, the college is asking students to come and appear for the exam,”.
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The relative added that the college should again postpone the exams as the COVID-19 situation in the area of Pimpri Chinchwad is not safe.
The relative said, “Since most of the students are from out of the state, they will have to come either by plane or bus and there are a risk of contracting the infection in the process,”.
According to the relative, the college has asked the students to take the test for the novel Coronavirus before they leave their respective cities.
The college is affiliated to Dr D Y Patil Vidyapeeth, deemed-to-be-university.
The Vice Chancellor (VC) of the college Dr N J Pawar, however, has reassured the students and their parents that the college has taken all the necessary precautions to conduct the examinations of more than 150 students of both BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) and MDS (Master of Dental Surgery) courses.
Dr Pawar added, “I reassure the students and parents that the college has taken all the necessary steps to ensure that all the safety measures, screening, social distancing norms, sanitation will be followed during the conduct of the exams,”.
As the precautionary measure, the students have been asked to take COVID-19 tests so they are confident about their safety before starting their journey.
He said, “We have already conducted the exam of our medical streams and the results of that exams are also declared. All these students who passed the exams are currently serving in the current crisis situation,”.
He also said that the Medical Council of India, the Dental Council of India believe that manpower (medical practitioners) is needed in this situation in the country.
Dr Pawar said that the hostels will be made available for quarantine. He also said that “There is no problem for the 159 students to appear for the exam as the there is sitting capacity of 250 people where it will be conducted,”.
