New Delhi: Delhi University (DU) colleges welcomed the students on Thursday as many of them visited the campus for the first time since they took admission.
The university has been closed for nearly two years owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The colleges resumed offline academic activities from Thursday.
There is a sense of fervour among the students, who are excited to return to the campus and "reclaim" the years lost due to the pandemic.
The DU colleges were closed in March 2020 in the wake of the pandemic. The reopening of the campus comes amid a decline in the number of Covid cases in the national capital. Student bodies held protests earlier this month, demanding the reopening of the campus.
"It's about the vibe you get at college, can't be experienced at home. I am coming for the first time," said second-year student Kanan of Kirori Mal College.
Gyantosh Jha, the principal of the Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, told PTI that the college administration is ready to welcome the students on Thursday.
"We got the campus sanitised on Wednesday and are ready to welcome the students. Many parents visited the college with their wards on Wednesday. The first-year and second-year students will be coming to the college for the first time." Asked if the college is planning to go for a blended mode of education for the first-year students, he said, "We will see the attendance on Thursday. If 50 per cent students or less turn up, we will go for a hybrid mode for the first-year students. We have spoken to the teachers about it." Some students, especially the last-year students of graduation and post-graduation courses, are demanding hybrid or online classes.
Meanwhile, The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to interfere with the Delhi University's decision to conduct physical examinations for the ongoing academic session later this year.
Justice Rekha Palli, who was hearing a petition by five outstation DU students, sought the stand of the varsity on the aspect of resumption of physical classes and asked the counsel for the DU to seek instructions on whether hybrid classes would be available for the remainder of the semester.
The five students have challenged a February 9 order of the university directing the resumption of physical classes from February 17 onwards.
With inputs from agencies
