The Chairman said that coronavirus pandemic has endangered the entire world. As a precautionary measure, students of all the public sector universities have been given a three-week break under instructions by the Government. The ongoing vacations may be adjusted in the summer holidays, however, if the prevailing situation persists, the online lectures activity will help avoid educational loss of students. In the meantime, faculty members will take advantage of the break to prepare online lectures for the students to mitigate the disruption in the provision of education.
HEC Developed Databank of Online Courses for Dissemination to Students
He urged the Vice-Chancellors to follow the guidelines about precautions to protect essential staff and faculty from the virus. HEC has issued comprehensive guidelines in this regard and has also taken precautionary measures at the HEC offices. He requested all experts and highly educated persons, including faculty members, students, and staff of universities to use their advanced knowledge to keep abreast of the latest information about the coronavirus and share it with other people in their communities. Some information in this regard has been circulated among universities and is available at the HEC website. HEC has also issued guidelines for faculty and staff attendance in universities and degree awarding institutions (DAIs) during COVID-19 Outbreak which include;
The objective of these guidelines is to ensure the safety and security of faculty and non-faculty employees of the Universities and DAIs during the COVID-19 outbreak while minimizing academic disruption. These guidelines are in addition to any instructions issued by the health agencies of the federal and provincial governments. Universities should establish and ensure the safety and security of all employees attending the campus in accordance with the comprehensive HEC Guidelines for Universities and DAIs on COVID-19 (attached herewith). These Guidelines should be implemented strictly, circulated widely, and displayed prominently for the convenience and reference of all university faculty and staff members. Universities should establish and ensure the safety and security of all employees attending the campus in accordance with WHO/HEC COVID-19 guidelines. Comprehensive HEC Policy/Guidelines for Universities and DAIs on COVID-19 attached herewith should be implemented strictly, circulated widely, and displayed for convenience and reference of all university faculty and staff members. The Vice-Chancellors/Rectors/Heads of the Universities and DAIs may exercise their discretion, within the ambit of broader governmental directives, in regard to the schedule of attendance of the faculty and staff. In particular, faculty may be asked to attend campus only when required for preparation and delivery of online courses/content, with a view to minimizing any academic loss for the students. No large gatherings should be allowed on campus during the period of lockdown. The number of participants in faculty/ staff meetings or training sessions should be restricted to 20. During these meetings, safe distances should be maintained between all participants at all times, and all other precautionary/preventive measures should be observed strictly. A ban is imposed on all external visitors to universities/ DAIs until April 05, 2020. Public notices in this regard should be displayed at entry gates/points, websites, and social media pages of universities, and announced on FM radios. Meanwhile, all general or specific public queries should be addressed through an effective online arrangement. The following categories of faculty/staff members should be exempted from duty or allowed to work from home: a. Non-essential staff. b. Faculty/staff over 50 years of age, and a serious co-morbidity, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc. c. Female employees (faculty/staff), who are pregnant or lactating. d. Faculty/Staff with any symptom of illness or susceptibility to disease. e. Staff/faculty with travel history to or residence in a country/area or territory reporting local transmission of COVID-19 or having contact with a confirmed or probable COVID-19 case. They should be asked to self-isolate themselves for two weeks, and allowed to work from home. Depending on the essential workload, staff may be segregated into groups, each attending campus on a rotational basis as per a clear schedule Surveillance and monitoring system (including contact and complaint registration) should be instituted to guarantee effective implementation of the prescribed guidelines Universities and DAIs shall make complete arrangements for the safe and secure housing of enrolled foreign students, in accordance with the WHO/standard guidelines.
