Students of technological courses under Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) in Karnataka have raised concerns over the online classes being conducted and are urging university officials to hold off on conducting examinations until students can attend classes in-person again.
The All India Democratic Students Organisation has written a petition to the Vice Chancellor of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) asking them not to conduct exams based on online classes held during the lockdown period.
In the letter, AIDSO has noted that many have suffered because they were not able to access these classes. “Only a quarter of the Indian population owns smartphones. Internet reach in India, including urban areas, is merely 36%. Meagre is the number of students having a smart phone with an active internet pack. Ground reality revealed from various survey reports including those by National Sample Survey, Ministry of Rural Development (says that), ‘nearly half of the villages have power connection for half a day daily’. National lockdown to contain the spread of COVID 19 has aggravated the already existing problems. During the lockdown period, families of poor farmers and workers are struggling to meet everyday needs. Amidst this grave crisis, online classes have snatched away the basic right to education from lakhs of students.”
According to a survey conducted by AIDSO on 4,000 VTU students, it was found that 77.3% of them did not attend a majority of the classes, while 91.2% of students said that they could not follow the classes which they attended. Another 97.1% of students said that they are not ready to face the examination based on online classes.
The statement from AIDSO noted, “The fear of lagging behind in academics is looming large in students’ minds and the students are deeply afraid for their future.”
A student from Shimoga who preferred not to be named, said, “We didn’t have normal live online classes, but rather, lecture videos, where there is a powerpoint presentation, and the teacher keeps reading what is on the slide. None of us were able to follow what was happening, and we weren’t even able to clarify doubts if any arise. These are highly technical subjects which cannot be understood based on PPTs. We were also not able to do our practicals, which causes problems for us in understanding the subject.”