Last week, several colleges put out notifications stating that online classes shall remain suspended.
Gurugram: Parents and faculty are concerned about the suspension of online classes in colleges while students breathed a sigh of relief.
Anahita Srivastava, an architecture student at MBS School of Planning and Architecture, says that she was relieved when she came to know about the decision. “I am really happy with the suspension of online classes. It was becoming increasingly difficult for me to attend classes with all the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Another student, Riya Sachdeva, feels that it is a wise decision, keeping in mind the current crisis. “I have a family member down with Covid-19 and taking care of them along with my online classes was really exhausting. There are many students in my batch who are down with COVID-19 themselves or have family members affected by the virus. It’s like a much-needed break for all of us.”
Recently, due to the surge of Covid-19 cases in the country, Delhi University (DU), Ambedkar University (AU), and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU), decided to suspend online classes for students of all courses. They have also issued circulars regarding the same.
“The decision has been taken by looking at the rise of Covid-19 cases in the city. Students, as well as the faculty, are equally affected by the pandemic. They are not mentally prepared to deal with the challenges posed by it,” said Sonia Arora, an assistant professor of Trinity Institute of Professional Studies.
Kavita Jain, a worried parent of a college student, said, “The suspension of classes is indeed a relief but I’m a little worried about my child’s future. The students have already lost a lot of time.”
“Later, if they try to complete the syllabus in a hurry, then how will the students catch up. It will put a lot more pressure on them,” she added.
Another parent, Preeti Sharma said, “My child is in the final year. Only if the college would have waited for some time and let the final year students complete their course, it would have been better. This will also delay their placement process.”
Dr. Lalima, an educationist, said that right now, the students are not in a good place psychologically. That’s why they have decided to suspend the classes.
“In online classes, only half of the attendance is there. Students are not able to attend because either they are not well or their family members are not well,”
“I think, in the present scenario, the only way out is online learning. Even if the situation improves after July, I don’t think at least for 2021, there will be offline classes.”
She added, “As we will see the benefits of online learning in the long run, educational institutions will at least think of a blended mode and not entirely depend on the offline mode.” she added.
