St Xavier’s University will hold its second convocation on the campus on February 6 with limited attendance and following all health protocols as a precaution against Covid.

Among the 472 degree recipients (undergraduate and postgraduate), the university will invite only those who live in the city to the ceremony to maintain maximum physical distancing,

“The rest can visit the campus later in a staggered way to collect their degree certificates. Or we can have the certificates delivered to them through courier. They can also download the digital version of the certificates from the National Academic Depository,” an official of the New Town university said.

“The assembly, comprising medal recipients, degree recipients, dignitaries, teachers, will not exceed 200. The Unlock VI guidelines say that social, academic and other congregations, in closed spaces with a maximum of 50 per cent of the hall capacity with a ceiling of 200 persons will continue. The medal recipients can come from anywhere,” vice-chancellor Father Felix Raj told The Telegraph.

The degree recipients will have to register themselves online if they want to attend the one-and-a-half hour event that will start at 11.30am. “This will help us ensure that the turnout does not exceed 200,” said an official of the university.

The university will send its buses to pick up the recipients from home. “We don’t want them to use public transport as that could pose a health risk. The students will be notified about the pick-up service,” said Felix Raj.

Earlier this month, the university’s buses had brought students who lacked computers or good internet link at home to the campus to write their semester exams.

Since all degree recipients will not be attending the convocation, the proceedings will be streamed live on Facebook and YouTube. “The links will be shared with the students so they can watch the event on their smartphones or computers,” an official said.

When asked why the event was not held virtually entirely, the VC said: “If it is completely virtual, it won’t look like convocation.”

The degree recipients, he said, will have to wear masks throughout their stay on the campus and their body temperature will be scanned by thermal guns. “Security personnel will see to it that all safety protocols are being adhered to,” he said.

The chief minister of Meghalaya, Conrad K. Sangma, will be the guest of honour at the convocation.

The Telegraph reported on Thursday that Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira will hold its annual convocation on its Belur campus on December 12 following all health and safety protocols.

The decisions by Vidyamandira and St Xavier’s University come days after Jadavpur University, from where 4,000-odd students have graduated this year, decided to scrap the ceremony for this year as the pandemic is still raging.