After a long and entrenched wait of almost 2 years, the final year UG and PG science students finally return to the lush green campus of Delhi University for practical classes. Even though the decision was lauded by a lot of students, the university witnessed thin attendance on the first day. While the Physics and Chemistry students showed up, the Mathematics and Computer Science students steered clear of the reopening as they have been provided with free software for practical classes. Most of the students who turned up for physical classes were residents of Delhi-NCR.
Principals across the university await the arrival of outstation students who comprise a significant portion of the class strength. Aman Verma, a final year Botany (H) student in the South Campus of Delhi University remarked: “It is nice to be back to college after such a long time. Though very few of us are here, we hope others will come back soon. Last year passed without us attending any practical classes. I was worried this might affect us in our further studies.”
S.P. Agarwal, Principal of Ramanujan College said that while attendance wasn’t very good, the campus joyously echoed with students after a long wait. “I could see 40-50 students in the campus. Some were in the laboratory while some were in the library. It’s mostly the students from Delhi-NCR. Others will hopefully come soon,” she added.
At Aryabhata College in South Campus, Psychology students returned to the campus first. Manoj Sinha, the Principal of the college remarked, “We had called two batches of 10 students each for their practical classes. Along with the practical, students were also given orientation on following Covid-appropriate behaviours. Outside the psychology lab, sanitizers were installed on Wednesday.”
Compared to the South Campus, North Campus colleges observed lesser attendance. Around 60% of the student population in the North Campus does not reside in Delhi-NCR which could explain the issue of thin attendance there. Meanwhile, the government schools in Delhi that have been reopened for grades 9-12 are buzzing with students. However, private schools in Delhi, much like Delhi University, are witnessing massive absenteeism.
Also read: “KNOWLEDGE GAP FOR A GENERATION”: DELHI GOVERNMENT ON REOPENING SCHOOLS
