At a time when parents are fearful and quite apprehensive about sending their children back to the world of physical classes, the University of Science and Technology (USTM), Meghalaya is leaving no stone unturned to turn its campus into a COVID-free zone.
USTM has adopted a host of measures aimed towards making the campus extremely safe for the students and teachers alike for the next academic session. Although situated in the green zone of Meghalaya, the institute is implementing all safety protocols including wearing of mask, regular sanitization, washing of hands, social distancing and avoidance of handshakes.
All classrooms will be sanitized before and after the commencement of the classes. Hand sanitizers will be made available for the teachers and students alike. To avoid any rush and gathering, only 50% students of the total class intake of each classroom will be called to attend classes physically. The rest will have to attend the classes on a virtual mode. Even this truncated number of students will be made to sit alternately inside the classroom to ensure enough distance between them.
Making students figure high in its list of priorities, the USTM buses will be sanitized with disinfectants before and after each travel. The students will be picked up from different locations, and they will be allowed to board the buses only after their thermal testing is done. Inside the buses, wearing of mask and maintenance of social distancing is mandatory.
Upon reaching the campus, they will be made to disembark from the buses in a proper queue at the main gate. This will be followed by each of the students passing through a sanitizing tunnel installed in the USTM campus. The students will have to pass through the same sanitization tunnel upon exiting the campus too.
Inside the institution, in the lobby area of each block, censor-based sanitizer dispensers have been installed to enable frequent hand sanitization. Labs of USTM will be regularly sanitized before the practical sessions, which again will be conducted with only 1/3rd capacity.
Strict social distancing norms will also be followed in the USTM Auditorium, one of the most state-of-the-art and biggest auditoriums of the region.
Library being one of the nerve centres of any educational institution, the library of USTM is being regularly sanitized and click-and-collect services have been enabled to ensure minimum human contact. The cooking area, hostels, corridors, toilets and dining area are also regularly sanitized, besides the amenity centres and common areas.
Moreover, food handlers, cashiers and cooks of USTM are also strictly following the safety protocols.
USTM aims to have a safe and positive ambience inside its campus. While the ongoing pandemic has dashed the hopes and plans of scores of students, USTM aspires to take them closer to their goals in a completely safe and secure environment.
