CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered the State and the University Grants Commission (UGC) to respond to a plea seeking for all college students in the State to be vaccinated on a priority basis. It also asked them to explain the shortcomings in online education provided to higher-education students.
Petitioner Nervazhi Iyakkam Trust, represented by its managing trustee T Ganesh Kumar, of Guduvachenrry, sought for the court to direct the authorities to vaccinate students, especially those in college, and teachers, on a priority basis.
The petitioner also said the UGC should address the shortcomings in online education, such as challenges in providing internet access to the underprivileged, and the physical and mental impacts of prolonged online classes in violation of the UGC guidelines.
Courses that require a hands-on practical approach are being taken online, and this is intentionally being left out from the regulations, said the petitioner’s counsel M Sricharan Rangarajan. “Conducting online classes for such courses would severely handicap students, and they could come up short in their understanding as well as application of the subject,” he added.
The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy admitted the plea and issued notices to the State and UGC to file a detailed report within four weeks.
‘Intentionally left out’
Courses that require a hands-on practical approach are being taken online, and this is intentionally being left out from the regulations, said the petitioner’s counsel