From attending classes online with unstable Internet connectivity, sourcing reading materials that are unavailable online to performing household chores, Delhi University students, spread across the country, are grappling with a variety of issues. So much so that some have complained of escalating mental health issues.
Nimisha Pathak, a second year student, was at her home in Madhya Pradhesh’s Sagar district when DU announced the commencement of classes a few months ago.
“For almost one and a half months, I was in a remote area without access to proper connectivity due to rains. I did not even have a register to take my notes. Attending nearly seven hours of classes daily with 2GB data is not enough,” said the Economics Honours student.
‘Inconsiderate DU’
She said she attended classes for the sake of attendances only. “Behind the cameras we are actually crying. My screen-time increased to nearly 10 hours a day in September. At times, there are power cuts, which mean we cannot even charge our gadgets. The problem with DU is that it is not considerate at all.”
Diya, a resident of Kerala’s Malappuram district, added that the problems began to mount gradually. “The moment we started having 5-6 hour classes, issues began with the connectivity. While at times it gets disconnected completely, on other instances it shows it’s reconnecting. When it reconnected finally, we had already missed 10 minutes of the lecture. We have no idea how to catch up on what we’ve missed in between,” said Ms. Diya, who studies in a North Campus college.
Shoddy service
As worryingly, the telecom service providers have been unhelpful as well. “When I contacted the company they said it will take three months to resolve the connectivity issue as my area has a lot of users. By then my semester exams will also be done. This is a huge issue,” said Ms. Diya.
Online classes have also not been helpful to differently abled students some of who require study material in an audio format as many teachers refuse permission to record classes, students said.
Poorva, president of the Enabling Society of Miranda House College, said: “Most of the reading material that is shared is in the PDF format, which often becomes an issue for students who require material in the audio format. It is an even bigger problem for students who are not from an English-medium background.”
“While most teachers are cooperative, there are others who do not permit recording classes. A major chunk of students are suffering,” said Ms. Poorva.
