JMI Protest: Sociology, CWAS students urge boycott of online classes until ‘normalcy is restored’

Students of the Centre for West Asian Studies (CWAS) and the sociology department at Jamia Millia Islamia have rejected the JMI administration's order to extend online classes and declared a complete boycott. Protesting students have been demanding fixed dates for students' union elections, which have not been held since 2006, and a timeline for approving the union's constitution.

In an order, JMI has extended online classes until November 24 and announced that practical and viva exams for the odd semester will also be held online. This decision came after students refused to end their protest and demanded clear dates for students’ elections.

JMI students have demanded that the students’ union constitution be drafted and approved by December 20, that the election date be announced within 15 days of approval, and that the process be completed by February 5.

Students have also sought an assurance that no disciplinary action will be taken against them.

“Such an arbitrary extension of online education, without a definite timeline or meaningful consultation with students, is unacceptable,” the student association statement said.

Also read Boomerang effect? Jadavpur bookstalls report fourfold rise in sales after Durga Puja attack sparks resistance

JMI Protest: What do students demand amid chaos?

According to the students' association statement, the regular degree programs at JMI rely on direct classroom instruction, faculty engagement, peer interaction, and physical infrastructure.

Students and scholars at the Centre for West Asian Studies require physical access to the central library, physical archives, specialised journals, and primary reference materials that online platforms cannot provide or even replace. Students are bearing costs for hostelling, rented housing, travel, and daily living expenses in Delhi with the expectation of an active on-campus environment, the statement added.

The statement pointed out that students deliberately chose an on-campus, regular programme at the university to experience physical classrooms, direct faculty engagement, peer discussions, and campus life. Online learning cannot replace the value of in-person university experiences.

Continuing online education harms learning quality, stalls academic progress, and denies the specific environment they enrolled for, the statement adds.

“The uncertainty surrounding the resumption of physical classes is affecting students' academic planning, preparation, and overall well-being. Our education cannot be treated as an inconvenience to be managed through indefinite extensions of online classes,” the letter added.

The demands of the protesting students as follows.

• Immediate Campus Restoration : Immediate reopening of the campus and resumption of regular physical classes.
• Definite Operational Schedule : A clear timeline detailing the full or phased resumption of academic activities, labs, and library services.
• Constructive Administrative Engagement : Meaningful dialogue between university administration and protesting students.
• Deadline for Constitutional Draft : A firm, publicly declared deadline for finalising the student union's constitutional draft.
• Academic Protection : Explicit institutional guarantees protecting students from academic, administrative, or attendance-related penalties due to the boycott.

Also read After AMU and Jamia, BHU students launch agitation for union polls, on hold for 3 decades

Students continue boycotting online classes

Furthermore, the students have voted to continue boycotting online classes , even after the pressure arising from attendance requirements, academic uncertainty, or the fear of consequences under university policies. Individual attendance under pressure does not mean collective acceptance, the letter pointed out.

The protesters want the JMI administration to address core grievances directly, stop restricting campus access, and set a clear deadline for finalising a constitutional draft.