Sitting patiently on the steps of the School of International Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, a group of 20 students put up posters protesting the continuation of online classes.
“We started the dharna a week ago. We always ensure that a small group of students stay here round the clock so that the security personnel do not lock down the building,” said a student of IRAS (International Relations and Area Studies).
Lack of resources
Due to the pandemic, SIS postgraduate students never attended physical classes due to “lack of infrastructure and financial resources”, said school dean Srikanth Kondapalli, after the JNU administration issued a statement this February saying that Offline classes were resume soon.
double standards
“Yesterday there was a yoga event” [Tuesday] On campus, which included about a hundred people who did not wear masks and did not respect social distancing. Also, other JNU schools conducted offline classes. There is double standards and hypocrisy in this university regarding COVID-19,” said Vaishnavi, another IRAS student.
Physical classes at JNU’s School of International Studies have been closed since 2019. After six months of peaceful protest, the postgraduate students started a sit-in near the building on June 14 and then resorted to capturing a classroom in the SIS building on June 19. ,
some options
Most of these students live in hostels, where they share hostels where no Wi-Fi is available. With classes closed, they have nowhere to study except in the library or reading room, which are quiet areas where they can’t ask questions or interact during classes.
“Nowadays, attending class is like watching YouTube videos. There is no dialogue, no common interest. Sometimes, professors come from their university office to the campus to deliver lectures, which is absurd. Students are here, professors are here, and yet, our right to proper education is denied,” said Saksham Bhatia, a PISM (Politics with Specialization in International Studies) student.
While other classrooms in the building have been closed, students have occupied one of them. “Security personnel were ordered to lock the room, so some of us are sleeping here now. JNU administration tagged us as rebel protesters. We only want access to quality education”, said a student.
The SIS students have sent three letters to the dean of the school, to which no response has been received. Mr. Kondapalli was confronted by students in his office a week ago.
The university administration is scheduled to meet next week and the protesting students are hopeful that their concerns will be addressed. “We are all very disappointed. JNU is the best university for humanities in India. We expected excellence from it, and now our degree will be affected by the status”, said Raghav, another SIS student.