Forty-two central universities are already running in offline mode, while only three continue to run online classes in some form, Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan informed Rajya Sabha on Wednesday. Replying to a question posed by Indian Union Muslim League MP PV Abdul Wahab, Mr Pradhan said that the three universities -Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Pondicherry University, and Sikkim University - have begun offline classes in a graded manner while adhering to safety guidelines and standard operating procedures.
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India's education system, beset with deep-rooted inequities, was forced to go online amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Pradhan also revealed that School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University will return to offline mode from August 3, 2022.
Moreover, Mr Pradhan reiterated that central universities, as autonomous institutions created under the acts of Parliament, are governed by their own acts, statutes, ordinances and regulations.
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"Being autonomous institutions, central universities are competent to take action in academic and administrative matters of the University," his response to Mr Wahab read.
