IIT Bhubaneswar admits freshers into the campus

Bhubaneswar, Nov 23: IIT Bhubaneswar started admitting its 1st-year B.Tech and Dual Degree students for the academic session 2021-22 asking them to physically report to the campus on November 21 and it will continue till November 24. A total of 472 students amongst which 90 are women and 139 are under 18 years, were offered admission on November 20 after the 6th and last round of JOSAA counselling. The IIT counselling was started on October 27. Till the end of November 22, 226 students (182 boys and 44 girls) reported at the campus already. The institute gave the option of staying at home and take the education online for those under 18. Only 20 of them opted to stay back at home. About 7 and 15 students requested for extension of time due to health and other reasons like natural calamity. The rest are expected to arrive at the campus by November 24. Of those reported at the campus 50%, 27% and 23% of them got fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated and not yet vaccinated respectively. Speaking on the occasion, Prof Raja Kumar, Director said, “it is heartening to note that majority of those under 18 who are yet to be vaccinated have also chosen to join the campus hostels for education with physical presence. The IIT system is residential in nature and importance is given to peer learning too which is an essential component of creating tomorrow’s leaders, today. At IIT Bhubaneswar we have been implementing Covid protocols in a spirited way, vaccinated all in the first opportunity, and have been protecting the campus in extremely high standards while permitting the students to stay on the campus. Our campus is Covid free at the moment and we could maintain that way for majority of the months during the pandemic. We will be able to take a good care of those under 18 and vaccinate them too as and when they acquire eligibility as per the government guidelines. At the moment, all except for the 3rd year BTech students are in the campus and a majority of them have classes running with their physical presence”. To join the campus RT-PCR negative report is mandatory with the test taken within the last 72 hours before reporting to the campus. The students will have to undergo 10 days of quarantine in the newly built Rushikulya Hall of Residence and the Subarnarekha Hall of Residence. The institute is providing them with single room accommodation. “Classes for the freshers will commence from November 26, first by online mode for a few weeks followed by hybrid mode thereafter and the academics for them for this year will be completed timely by June 2022” said Dr P R Sahu, Dean Academic Affairs.