NEW DELHI: Students of Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) University on Thursday launched a mass-boycott of online classes till the campus is reopened. Student organisations have started a ‘Twitter storm’ over the issue of reopening of the university. The university began online registration UG and PG courses on Thursday. An official said that offline classes will commence post Eid.
Students say that JMI is the only higher educational institute in the national capital which has not been reopened even after two years of closure following the pandemic. Syed Saqulain, a Jamia student said, “All government or non-government offices, schools and universities are open in Delhi. Rallies are being held daily across the country, then why not Jamia, why are university administrators playing with the prospects of students succeeding. Jamia should be reopened in full swing.”
Similarly, another student Mohammad Haseeb said, “Students of 36 departments are not attending classes as of now, with them boycotting online education.” Students through social media have been demanding the university to allow students to have access to libraries, laboratories and canteens.
Meanwhile, Munazza Hasan while writing a long thread on Twitter said, “We don’t find any reasonable reason for the university to remain closed till now. Other major universities in India and in Delhi as well are conducting offline classes. Then why not Jamia?”
However, a senior Jamia official said that the university was opened for the final-year students this year starting with the Science students, who were finding it difficult to perform their practicals. The library which was closed post CAA protests was also opened. For the remaining students, the university will be opened post Eid.
“We are still preparing our hostels to call our students back. Also, Ramzan was going on and a large number of students would have returned home if we would have opened the university by this time. We will be fully functional after May 3,” said an official.