BENGALURU: As the October 1 deadline looms for colleges to reopen offline classes, students are faced with a dilemma – whether to stay safe or to jeopardise their academic year.
While a majority of the 11,000 students and parents surveyed strongly opposed offline classes that are beginning on October 1, another set of students is writing to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa complaining about the inefficacy of online classes.
“Offline classes are a better alternative to online sessions, as many students lack access to the latter. Several families are in financial dire straits as the pandemic and lockdown have impacted a lot of blue-collared jobs,” Bengaluru district vice-president of All-India Democratic Students’ Organisation Apoorva told The New Indian Express.
Also, many students are considering leaving their education and taking up part-time jobs to supplement their family’s incomes, say student representatives. Over the past few months, students have started enrolling for MGNREGA, said Vasudev Reddy, state president of Students Federation of India. While postponing the academic year indefinitely is not a viable option, putting off admissions for another few weeks till the economy bounces back and students’ financial situation improves must be considered by the government, said Apoorva.
Reddy, on the other hand, pointed out that a number of students, hit by the economic crisis, have not been able to apply for admissions online within the deadline or to get bus passes. “This year, students have been denied bus passes as the transport department is running under losses. We demand not just discounted bus passes, but free rides for students,” demanded Reddy.
A survey conducted by the Bangalore Student Community revealed that of the 11,000 respondents, 57.39 per cent of students had a low preference for offline classes, while 75.33 per cent parents too were of the same opinion. Just about 29.43 per cent students and 14.47 per cent parents had a moderate preference for offline classes and 13.18 per cent students and 10.20 per cent parents had a high preference for offline classes.
On September 12, many students protested against offline classes. Braving the rain and Covid threat, around 100 students took turns to visit the protest site at Maurya Circle. They said that the government’s order has created a lot of confusion. It is an arbitrary decision of the state government without waiting for the Ministry of Home Affairs or University Grants Commission guidelines, they said.
Students also wrote to Deputy Chief Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan, who is also the higher education minister, requesting “the state ministry (of higher education) to take into account the opinions of the primary stakeholders, the students and their parents, before reaching a well-measured decision”. Students said that the decision has come at a time when there has been a rapid increase in Covid-positive cases across Bengaluru and Karnataka, endangering the lives of students and their family.