The Compass

As  I reflect on the never ending days that stretch ahead of me with a sigh of desperation and a tinge of regret I try to convince myself of the brutal, seemingly constant reality. The earlier days of denial have been now replaced with a woeful resignation and acceptance of the fact that me like the whole world have been stuck in this labyrinth of time and an escape from this maze does not loom anywhere near my horizons. 

The ramifications of this lockdown are extensive and far reaching that one cannot possibly imagine listing them all out. Ranging from primary schools to business empires the lockdown has crumbled the functioning of almost every institution, political, economical and cultural. I also realise that our university too has not been spared from the wrath of this malady. 

The unexpected lockdown has led the university to shut down and students to be sent home. Although the reasons for such actions are truly legit the consequences of it cannot be overlooked. Our education has been substantially compromised, the academic curriculum disrupted and a chaotic atmosphere with no clarity or precision prevails. 

But as far as I can gauge, our final years are bearing the maximum brunt of the situation. Their last year of study has been abruptly put to a halt, stripping them of the chance to rejoice those highly coveted days of college life. The drastic impact it will have on their academics is blatant and obvious. But what troubles me more and I am afraid might be overlooked is, the emotional toll the scenario will take on them. The final semester is indeed special for every student and when that experience has been snatched away from them it sure is not a pleasant place to be in. The final lap of the beautiful journey of campus life deserves to be spent with cheer, love and memories. Reminiscing the days they spent together, the laughter they shared and the tears shed, the last days of college are meant to stay etched forever in their hearts. 

But contemporary events have led to the erosion of such possibilities and the final years spending their days locked up in the solitude of their rooms. Added to this is the fact that our Universities’ academia has been severely mauled by the protest movements against the CAA- NRC legislations. We were not able to attend classes and the University had shut down. 

The cumulative effect of which being an extreme dubiousness surrounding our academic plan. Although those of us who protested did make a conscious choice to boycott classes it doesn’t mean that we at any point undermined the relevance of academics. On the other hand it highlights our responsiveness and social commitment .Our chivalry to stand up against establishments that defy the fundamentals of our country’s constitution deserves respect and veneration..It is highly unfair that our education is the price we pay for this fight against injustice.

The current situation is most definitely unprecedented and deeply disturbing. I therefore do not aim at criticising the university’s reaction to those events. The sole purpose is to remind the administration the intensity of the toll the lockdown has taken on us. I believe my words echo the sentiment of almost every student of this university. As I outline our emotional and tangible problems I hope that a sincere attempt be made to resolve the conundrum. In an infallible optimism that we shall all soon be able to greet freedom sans masked visages, breathing in the air of change and slip back into the chaos of life, I conclude with a note of sigh, of how badly I miss the Jamia campus.

Sonali Supriya Bagh

It was 15^th of March, when we heard about the pandemic affecting India and the possible shutdown of the university till the end of the month. As the circular came in later, our main concern was to be able to book a ticket back. As risky as the journey was, the first two weeks at home were not a relief either due to the constant fear of possibly having been infected while travelling back. On one hand where we talk about how to tackle the physical ailments, we seem to turn a blind eye unto the issues relating to mental health. Given the incidents those took place in the last few months; the administration’s insensitiveness shouldn’t have come as a surprise.

Being a public university, EFLU draws in a large number of students every year promising them quality education as well as affordable boarding. The campus has 24/7 Wi-Fi system available for the students and also a computer lab. Majority of the students rely on the campus Wi-Fi and the lab for studies and assignments. Many do come from rural areas with serious network issues and many don’t own personal computers either.

In such conditions, it is unfair to impose attendance mandated online classes, rather than opting for other more flexible modes of distance education. Online classes almost every week day, demanding the students to sit for at least 2 hours is not something that all can afford. Along with the bulk of assignments that had started piling up and were to be submitted on prescribed dates, the university’s circular to extend the dates for these submissions and that asking the teachers to refrain from marking attendance based on the participation in the online classes perhaps came a month too late. A university has its own areas of excellence and also those where it lacks. It is commendable to take que from other institutions to better one’s own, and yet it is very illogical to overrule the weaknesses and go further, blindly to implement something that is not possible to achieve at the given moment.

Looking back now, this seems as a microcosm of what has actually been happening on the larger front. It is something that started with the extension of the December vacation on the pretext of renovation work, while major central universities and other educational institutions across the nation were standing up against the draconian rules of the government.

The extension came shortly after the teachers’ body decided to stand in solidarity with Jamia Millia Islamia. Those few students who were holding placards as a sign of peaceful protest were given show cause notice. The university compelled the students to fill in the annexure 5 during the admission, which prohibits the students to participate in any protest, clearly depriving them of their constitutional right. Many had already booked their return tickets, the university promised to bear the charges for those travelling via train or bus, but had refrained from compensating for the flight charges.

Since the reopening of the university this year the campus has witnessed a number of protests. On Tuesday, 28^th January, the administration released a circular after the official working hours, which introduced changes to the admission process, use of the bell curve grading system and reduction in the intake of students for the courses offered. The university has a functional students’ council with democratically elected members, and yet such grave matters were not intimated to the students’ council prior to releasing the circular. The university also didn’t have an academic council, which in such cases is the body that debates and decides whether to bring about such changes in the ongoing academic term. The administration has been seen taking decisions solely without discussing with the elected bodies.

There is an obvious lack of communication and also a promotion of an authoritarian system that doesn’t heed to the voice of reason. The way the EFLU administration has been releasing random circulars at odd hours very much reflects the sudden decisions taken by the central government on various occasions which has later proved to have very devastating results. Where the latter avoids press conferences, thus refraining from situating oneself in a position where one has to be answerable, the former avoids any kind of confrontation with the student body during protests.

Even during this lockdown, the lack of thoughtfulness of the EFLU administration is very frustrating. The students’ council had approached the administration a number of times, taking up the issues faced by the students due to data crunch and inaccessibility of technology, and therefore requesting for a better and more flexible mode to make things more inclusive. And after much toiling and relentless negotiation the results finally came, yet too late. There is an obvious lack of consistency when it comes to decision making and the sudden shift in the online exam dates for the semester and also the reduction in the time duration to just 2 hours proves it further. All these have been building a kind of resentment among the students and no one else but the university administration is to be blamed for this.

(Sonali is a student from EFLU)