The All India Students’ Association (AISA) undertook a survey of 1000 Delhi University students in July and found that 96% of them considered fee collection during the Covid-19 induced lockdown ‘unfair’, while 97% asked for a refund as they had suffered from financial distress.
To comprehensively sum up the report, AISA found some impossibly high statistics –
Approximately 14%,
of the students had lost earning members of their families causing an added burden on their financial condition.
82%
reported facing issues in paying the fees of their college for the past three semesters.
87%
of the students also feel that it is the responsibility of the university to vaccinate its students and that it should make concerted efforts towards the same.
77%
of the students feel that the online method of education can’t be a universal mode as it is not accommodative of the various circumstances students find themselves in, spread across the country. “AISA believes that while campuses should be made available to the students, it must happen in a manner that ensures safety and accessibility for all,” it said.
AISA went on to demand that the varsity’s administration should come up with a structured and well thought out plan to reopen campus and also include programs like vaccinating students within 10 days of college reopening. It also suggested having immediate medical assistance for any Covid related emergency. It said that vaccination and care centres should be available in every college.
“Colleges must ensure accommodation to all students returning, including space in vacant hostels and rent control. All fees collected in the past three semesters must be refunded,” it said. Fee collection thus continues to remain a contentious issue for the university as well as students.
In a tweet, Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Students’ Union President Aishe Ghosh said: –
‘”IMMEDIATELY RE-OPEN CAMPUS ACROSS DELHI. STOP EXCLUSION. START EDUCATION. #CampusKholo”.
Recently, the university had released a notice declaring that the college is all set to reopen for the students of the science stream from the 16th of August. However, it released another notice soon after deferring this decision for the time being. Students across the country are suffering from a state of confusion and distress due to the varsity’s inability to make a final decision that impacts all futures.
