COVID-19: Students left in the cold as colleges shut down

NEW DELHI: Students residing in hostels across the country are stressed and anxious as the institutions are asking them “to vacate the university campus with immediate effect”. Institutions have suspended classes in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Delhi University (DU) have issued such orders, leading to panic among hostel residents. In a statement posted on social media, activist group Pinjra Tod has said that students must demand more from the universities.

Students are left to figure out the modes of transportation and travel costs on their own. Besides being exposed to the threat of infection by travelling in crowded public transport, they also become potential carriers of the deadly virus, the statement pointed out. As Careers360 earlier reported, public health experts too have regarded this move to clear campuses with worry.

However, the Ministry of Human Resource Development has finally directed that students who are still in their hostels, “particularly foreign students” be allowed to remain.

Scant regard for rules

Hostels that usually follow rules and regulations regarding safety of students are now forcing them out within 24 hours with no regard for their security or well-being, said the statement.

The group has listed out the problems caused by sudden hostel closures: JNU will suspend the mess services from March 22; the students at DU Women's hostels were given 24-hours to leave; the Undergraduate Hostel for Girls (UGHG) has shut down the mess facilities when it is a huge health hazard to eat from outside.

Students who come from far off places and those who belong to marginalized societies are the worst-hit, says Pinjra Tod.

Also read:

• COVID-19: India unprepared for shutdown says IIT Kharagpur survey
• Coronavirus: Vacating hostels is anti-student, says JNU students group

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