by NEW DELHI: After a gap of nearly two years, Delhi University (DU) will resume offline classes for all batches from February 17. To ensure a “safe campus”, a vaccination drive from February 14 to 18 will be carried out for students who are not yet inoculated, senior officials said.
Following an agitation by several students’ organisations seeking reopening of campuses, DU proctor Rajni Abbi, registrar Vikas Gupta and dean of students’ welfare Pankaj Arora reached the protest site on Wednesday and made the announcement. “Almost 70% of students at DU are outstation ones. We needed time to sort out the modalities, otherwise where would they have stayed? We arrived at the decision only after speaking to hostel authorities and principals,” Abbi said.
In a notification issued later, the varsity said that offline classes for all undergraduate and post-graduate courses will begin from February 17 and that outstation students will be required to complete an isolation period of three days before reporting to their respective colleges and departments.
Libraries, laboratories and canteens will also resume operations from the same day, the notification said, while adding that college and hostel administrations were required to ensure that Covid protocols are maintained at all times.
The university has been conducting online classes since March 2020 following the outbreak of the pandemic.
“The deans of faculties, heads of departments, principals of colleges, directors of institutions and provosts of hostels shall encourage teaching and non-teaching staff and students to get vaccinated if not already done, at the earliest,” the notification added.
Various student organisations had been protesting over the past few days demanding reopening of college campuses. Members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), including a few DUSU office-bearers, even went on a hunger strike, following which university officials met the protesters.
Meanwhile, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) organised a programme called “Sadak Pe Kaksha”, where Miranda House professor Abha Dev Habib addressed students regarding the upcoming changes in the education system, especially the structure to be adopted by DU.
“Students need to raise their voice to save higher education. Due to the new structure and option for multiple entry and exit, even students who complete a three-year degree will be treated as dropouts. Similarly, if the number of diploma holders increases manifold, then their value, as far as the job market is concerned, will also be reduced. Parents who are currently struggling to fund the education for a three-year course now have an added burden of one more year plus coaching institutes that are already mushrooming due to the common entrance test,” Habib said.
Welcoming the decision, DUSU president Akshit Dahiya said, “It is a victory for each and every student of the university. We were demanding for a long time that campuses be reopened. DUSU has been fighting for the past two years and we are glad that this fight has finally come to an end.”
Following an agitation by several students’ organisations seeking reopening of campuses, DU proctor Rajni Abbi, registrar Vikas Gupta and dean of students’ welfare Pankaj Arora reached the protest site on Wednesday and made the announcement. “Almost 70% of students at DU are outstation ones. We needed time to sort out the modalities, otherwise where would they have stayed? We arrived at the decision only after speaking to hostel authorities and principals,” Abbi said.
In a notification issued later, the varsity said that offline classes for all undergraduate and post-graduate courses will begin from February 17 and that outstation students will be required to complete an isolation period of three days before reporting to their respective colleges and departments.
Libraries, laboratories and canteens will also resume operations from the same day, the notification said, while adding that college and hostel administrations were required to ensure that Covid protocols are maintained at all times.
The university has been conducting online classes since March 2020 following the outbreak of the pandemic.
“The deans of faculties, heads of departments, principals of colleges, directors of institutions and provosts of hostels shall encourage teaching and non-teaching staff and students to get vaccinated if not already done, at the earliest,” the notification added.
Various student organisations had been protesting over the past few days demanding reopening of college campuses. Members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), including a few DUSU office-bearers, even went on a hunger strike, following which university officials met the protesters.
Meanwhile, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) organised a programme called “Sadak Pe Kaksha”, where Miranda House professor Abha Dev Habib addressed students regarding the upcoming changes in the education system, especially the structure to be adopted by DU.
“Students need to raise their voice to save higher education. Due to the new structure and option for multiple entry and exit, even students who complete a three-year degree will be treated as dropouts. Similarly, if the number of diploma holders increases manifold, then their value, as far as the job market is concerned, will also be reduced. Parents who are currently struggling to fund the education for a three-year course now have an added burden of one more year plus coaching institutes that are already mushrooming due to the common entrance test,” Habib said.
Welcoming the decision, DUSU president Akshit Dahiya said, “It is a victory for each and every student of the university. We were demanding for a long time that campuses be reopened. DUSU has been fighting for the past two years and we are glad that this fight has finally come to an end.”
