After 2 years, DU is set to welcome students for offline classes

After being closed for over two years because of the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak, Delhi University is slated to reopen for offline classes on Thursday.

The university was closed in March 2020 due to the beginning of the pandemic, and since then, all undergraduate and postgraduate courses have been taught online.

Many students who began their university careers during these two years will be visiting their colleges for the first time.

The university’s reopening coincides with a decrease in the number of Covid-19 cases in the nation’s capital. Students organised rallies earlier this month, demanding that the campus be reopened.

A student told the news agency that he was looking forward to returning to campus. “For about two years, the university was closed.” The online form of study was not effective enough to replace traditional education. Gajendra Mohan Thakur, a 26-year-old Campus Law Centre student, was cited as saying, “It’s time to recapture our lost years.”

Another student expressed enthusiasm for in-person classes, claiming that they give a better platform for student-teacher connection and improved learning.

“The last couple of years have brought drastic changes in the lives of students, with a particular emphasis on online classes,” Kalyani Harbola, a first-year student, told. “However, now that our lives are getting 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.”

However, some students, particularly those in their last year of graduation and post-graduate courses, have demanded hybrid or online education. They believe it is pointless to make housing arrangements for only a few months because the exams are only around the corner.

Many of these students have also started a petition demanding that they not be called back after only two months.

According to the newspaper, the petition, which was begun on change.org and addressed to the vice-chancellor, the registrar, the proctor, and the dean of students’ welfare, has received over 40,000 signatures so far.