CHENNAI: Online classes during the pandemic have been plagued by several issues -- from students struggling to purchase a smart phone with sufficient data to connectivity issues. However, unavailability of teaching faculty is a worrisome thing, especially when it comes to teaching students of medical colleges. Even as the faculty are busy in treating Covid cases, classes for medical students, especially second and third year MBBS students, have become irregular.
According to MBBS students, classes are being conducted for at least three hours every day for first year and final year students, but not for those studying second and third year. Explaining the current scenario, a second year MBBS student rues, “We rarely have any classes these days. We have WhatsApp groups for all departments and will be given some assignments. Once we complete it, we will get attendance. These classes are mostly managed by postgraduate doctors.”
However, first year and final year students say that professors are conducting classes every day since last month. “We have to appear for university exams and will be retained in the same class if we don’t clear it, unlike second and third year students. Our classes are being regularly conducted from August 1,” says a fourth year student.
Though first year MBBS exam was supposed to be held in August, it has been postponed owing to pandemic.The Board of Governors in the Supersession of Medical Council of India, on August 4, sent a circular to all the colleges saying that no batch should be permitted to move to the next level of the MBBS course without an examination. Says a city medical college professor, “Whoever, professor or assistant professor, is free will be made to take classes while others are busy with Covid duty. We even take classes during our lunchbreak and give the work to doctors who are quarantined.” With professors at government medical colleges, particularly in Chennai, juggling Covid treatment and online classes, Kilpauk Medical College Alumni Association has pitched in to help students.
Extending support to the professors, Prasad Manne, Secretary, Kilpauk Medical College Alumni Association says, “Our alumni have specialists who can teach all subjects. This will be in addition to what the college faculty teaches. Even the alumi living abroad will join zoom classes and take the lessons missed. It will be more like tuition classes. Besides KMC, students from other medical colleges can also can join our classes if they are interested.”
