3 min readNew DelhiMay 4, 2021 01:22 PM IST
First published on: May 4, 2021 at 12:59 PM IST
Delhi University (DU) Tuesday said it was suspending online classes in all colleges and departments till May 16 due to rising cases of COVID-19 in the capital. The decision has come after demands for suspension of classes have been raised by hundreds of first year students from various colleges.
In a notice Tuesday, Registrar Vikas Gupta said, “In view of sudden surge in COVID-19 cases, the online teaching shall remain suspended till May 16, 2021 in the Departments and Colleges of the University. This is issued with the approval of the Competent Authority.”
Earlier students of various colleges including St Stephen’s College, Hansraj College, Gargi College among others had written to the Principal demanding that classes be temporarily suspended and the academic calendar be reworked keeping in mind the current crisis.
In their petition, students had mentioned that attending classes was becoming an issue since many were down with COVID-19 themselves or had family members affected by the virus.
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Gupta said these factors were taken into consideration while making the decision to suspend classes. “Classes for the fourth and sixth semester students have already finished on April 29. Only the second semester students are remaining, whose admission was delayed last year because of COVID. We were getting many reports that students were either affected by COVID themselves or their family members were suffering. We have also lost many teachers to the virus,” Gupta told The Indian Express.
“The problem now is that of the academic calendar. It mandates 180 days of teaching. We will have to see what to do. We will try to reduce classes but beyond a point even that will not possible. But we are working around it. It is difficult to plan beyond a point because the situation is unpredictable. We still don’t know when the COVID peak will come,” he said.
Hindu College Principal Anju Srivastava who is recovering from COVID-19, welcomed the decision. “In our college around 30-35 teachers are down with COVID, and many non-teaching staff too. Student attendance in classes has also dropped all around. We have got many mails saying either they have got COVID or a family member. So this is an appropriate move taken by the university.”
She the academic calendar could be worked around. “I think all of us are responsible enough, and it should be our self-commitment that we will cover up the losses through extra classes etc. We are conscientious,” she said.
Delhi University campus
(Express Photo By Praveen Khanna) 
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