Mumbai, June 25: Due to the novel coronavirus impact, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has decided to suspend all face-to-face lectures for the rest of this year. The major decision is being taken keeping in mind the safety of students, teachers and staff members. The IIT-Bombay will go fully digital next semester,  UGC Asks Expert Committee to Review Guidelines on Exams and Academic Calendar Amid COVID-19 Pandemic.

In a Facebook post, IIT Bombay director Subhasis Chaudhuri said, "For IIT Bombay, students are the first priority. We took the first step in India in concretely deciding how we must bring a closure to the current semester to help our students."

"But given the current condition of the pandemic, how do we plan for the next semester for our students? Again, after a long deliberation in the Senate, we have decided today that the next semester will be run purely in the online mode so that there is no compromise on the safety and well-being of the students," he said.

IIT-Bombay Director's Message:

As the large section of IIT-Bombay students come from economically less privileged families, the director appealed for donations so that every student can take online classes.

“We do not want a single student to miss out the learning experience for the lack of money. We have estimated that we need about Rs 5 crores to help those needy students. Our alumni have committed a good amount of support, but that is not enough for all these needy students and I solicit through this message your donations, however small it may be,” Chaudhuri wrote in his Facebook post.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 cases in India has crossed 1,40,00-mark. of the total 1,42,900 cases, 62,369 are cases active, while 73,792 individuals have been cured. Till now, 6,739 people have also died due to the infection.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 25, 2020 12:38 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).