The University of Delhi resumed offline classes for all students (undergraduate and postgraduate courses) after a gap of two years. As per the varsity guidelines, those coming from outstations will have to quarantine for three days before attending the classes.
The administration has asked its affiliated colleges, departments, and faculties to ensure that the students attending classes are vaccinated. Besides, colleges have been asked to promote vaccination among the unvaccinated.
“Excited to be back and catch up with friends. Online studying was monotonous,” a student outside the Ramjas College told news agency ANI.
The Vishwavidyalaya Metro Station, near the Delhi University, was jampacked as a large number of students made their way to colleges in the north campus.
Gajendra Mohan Thakur, a 26-year-old Campus Law Centre student, said, “I am excited to go back to the campus. The university was shut for around two years. The online mode of study was not efficient enough to substitute the offline mode of education. It is a time to reclaim our lost years.”
Delhi University colleges were closed in March 2020 following the outbreak of coronavirus infection.
There has been drastic changes in lives of students, with particular emphasis on online classes, but now, when lives are coming back on track, “we students are super excited to join offline classes as it provides a whole new bunch of opportunities and exposure to shape our future”, Kalyani Harbola, a first-year student, said.
Offline classes also provide a better platform for student-teacher interaction and better learning,” Harbola added.
The decision to resume offline classes was taken last week amid continued protests by student outfits. The student outfits, cutting across party lines, were demanding that the university begin offline classes without any further delay. Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh had then constituted a committee to consider the decisions of reopening the campus.
Delhi University colleges were closed on March 19, 2020 in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic. The varsity had given a go-ahead to resumption of practical sessions in February last year, but after the emergence of second wave, they were suspended in March.
In September, the university allowed final year undergraduate and postgraduate students to return to campus, but the attendance was thin. These offline classes were also suspended in view of rising coronavirus cases.
Meanwhile, Delhi reported 766 COVID-19 cases along with five fatalities, while the positivity rate declined to 1.37 per cent, according to data shared by the Health Department on Wednesday.
