NEW DELHI: The Delhi University Students’ Association has started an online petition demanding the reopening of the university. It was their 45th day of the indefinite strike on the campus. The students have taken to social media platforms to demand the re-opening of the colleges. Even when the government has allowed the schools to reopen in Delhi, there have been no guidelines as to when will the university re-open for the offline classes to begin.
The students have been emphasising the fact that the online classes have been of no help to hundreds of students who lived in far-off remote areas and have no access to good internet. They have not been able to attend a single class.
The petition by the name, ‘Reopen Delhi University’ at change.org has witnessed over 18,000 students signing it in the past two days. Student Prince Bansal said, “On December 7, the university representatives gave us assurance that a meeting would be held within one week regarding the reopening. However, after 15 days of having meetings, the Vice-Chancellor is still making an excuse that the District Disaster Management Authority is not allowing.”
Another student, Rakhi Srivastav, said, “Since everyone can’t join the physical protest in the national capital, students can record a short video message from their home to demand the immediate reopening of Delhi University, while discussing the problems faced in online classes.”
The All India Students’ Association (AISA) has been organising late-night poster campaigns at several colleges, questioning that when the schools can open, why the University can’t reopen. The AISA had organised the poster campaigns on December 21 night at Shivaji and Rajdhani College, for the united indefinite strike and the ongoing movement for the reopening of the DU.
A student said, “Delhi University Teachers’ Association elections can be conducted with around 8-10,000 people, why can’t they conduct offline classes for us? Online classes are adversely affecting us on so many levels. Delhi University must take cognizance of the plight of students and take immediate measures.”
DU Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh was not available for comments.