Chandigarh: College faculty to work from home till July 31

CHANDIGARH: UT education department on Monday issued orders asking heads of colleges to let teaching non-teaching staff to work from home. The move comes after Ministry of Human resource and development issued an order to all state heads to let staff work from home. Director higher education Rubinderjit Singh Brar confirmed the same.
The orders issued stated that “orders of MHRD dated June 30, are hereby circulated for compliance by the faculty members/Teachers/Researchers/Non Teaching staff working in Government and government-aided privately Managed Colleges and Institutions and they are permitted and advised to work from home till July 31, 2020.”
The college principals have however been asked to ensure that the online admission process and other activities related to it are carried on smoothly and for that purpose and for that purpose, required staff can be called at their own level.
On the other hand, the school teachers were left disappointed as they too said they were under stress because the Coronavirus cases in the city are on the rise.
“We are bringing our children also to school since we have nowhere to leave them. We are risking their health as well and even otherwise we go back home daily and you never know when and how one can contract the virus,” said a teacher from a government school.
Brar said, “For colleges are issuing work from home orders following MHRD’s letter. School teachers will continue to come.”
The order issued by the MHRD states that, “In order to ensure the safety of the faculty members, teachers, researchers and non-teaching staff of the higher educational institutions, precautions like encouraging employees to continue to work-from-home till July 31, 2020 and that faculty members, teachers and researchers should utilise this period for various academic activities.”
The letter issued by the MHRD also said that the said period should be counted as being on duty for all faculty members, teachers, researchers, and non-teaching staff, including those on Ad-hoc and teachers on contract, whose contracts are valid up to July 31.
MHRD had stated in the order that the online or distance learning should continue and shall be encouraged at the same time.