Parents may be divided about whether they want their kids to go back to college while the threat of COVID still looms, but one thing is for certain — even if you do go back, they want you locked up in a hostel and they don't want you to go hang out with your friends in their rooms.
In a survey conducted by NIIT University (NU) in Rajasthan, 83.5 per cent of parents of students studying at the varsity feel that a residential institution offers greater safety as compared those which offer no housing, lodging facilities. The survey sampled all parents of students studying at NU currently, wherein the questions were emailed and 250 responses were received. A whopping 68.1 per cent also felt that entry into each other's rooms by students should be prohibited for now to maintain social distancing.
As colleges and universities are slated to gradually open across the country, the NU survey found that 89.1 per cent of the parents feel that the varsity should use access cards instead of allowing thumbprint access as that could cause further spread of the Coronavirus. As many as 35.1 per cent felt that the washroom areas should be sanitised at least five times a day while 31.7 per cent felt that the university should sanitise these areas more than five times a day.
As a part of COVID-19 protocol, a majority of parents — 55 per cent feel that NU should not issue out passes for students till the situation is completely safe. They also said that members of the faculty and staff should also be restricted from moving in and out of campus even after they open in a phased-out manner. In order to keep the campus completely safe, 92.3 per cent parents responded saying that NU should ask for a COVID negative report when they allow students to enter, however, also get an additional test done a few days later.
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In addition to this, the survey also found that parents want the varsity to offer multiple food choices and not allow outside food for the time being. Seating in cafeteria and classrooms should be fixed keeping social distancing in mind while sporting activities should only commence after a significant period time provided no positive cases are found.
This survey was conducted by NU to ensure that the COVID-19 safety protocols being implemented at the university meet parents’ expectations and to take any further steps required to ensure that the parents and students are fully satisfied with their safety on campus. NU is expected to reopen its gates shortly, with students returning to campus in a phased manner.
