Shifting from online to offline classes in Jadavpur University will take some time: JUTA

KOLKATA: Shifting from online to offline classes in Jadavpur University will take some time as many students are in faraway places and they need to arrive on the campus, a teachers' body in the institution has said.

In a letter to the chairman of the Faculty Council of Engineering and Technology on Thursday, the Jadavpur University Teachers Association (JUTA) rued that a section of engineering students misbehaved with faculty members during a recent demonstration demanding physical classes. Offline classes were scheduled to begin in JU along with other institutions on February 3 and academic offices were opened and all faculty members in arts, science and engineering departments turned up, Registrar Snehamanju Basu said.

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"However, many students had requested that offline classes be held after February 15 mainly due to transportation problems. It was decided that dates for different departments will be fixed in consultation with students. Still, some students went ahead with their protest," JUTA general secretary Partha Pratim Roy told PTI. "We are shifting from the online to the offline mode after a long time. For a smooth transition, some time may be needed by all stakeholders of the university for things to settle down," he said.

Some members of the Faculty of Engineering and Technology Students' Union (FETSU) agitated before the offices of vice-chancellor and registrar on February 8. Engineering Dean Atal Choudhury resigned a day later, and is yet to take back his resignation despite being requested by the VC to do so. Choudhury, however, cited personal reasons behind the decision.

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JUTA, in the letter said, that teachers have always given priority to students' problems, and contended that if classes are held physically, examinations must also be strictly conducted in the offline mode. "Many students of various years have said they will not attend the offline classes now. Considering the ground reality, we must take department-wise decisions. Rules and regulations must be the same for students of all years," it said. A JU official said that offline classes in some departments of the Engineering and Technology faculty have begun on Thursday but physical classes will recommence in full steam only after mid-February.