AMU Students allege University is Forcing them to Evacuate Hostels amid Coronavirus spread

 Students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Uttar Pradesh, who had stayed back in hostels when the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic came into effect, alleges that the administration is forcing them to evacuate the hostels.

There have been constant notices issued by the university administration ordering the students to go to their homes before the varsity summer vacations which are going to start from 15th June 2020. The notice also states the dining facilities for students will also be discontinued after the commencement of summer vacations.

However, notice issued on 2 June 2020 read, “University administration will also help them in every way possible. If any student is unable to go for any genuine reasons, the University administration will help in facilitating dining facilities.” 

Students claim that their home towns are included in red zone areas and going back when there is an everyday spike in COVID-19 cases is like entering into a well of death.

Girls students grumble that amid the chaos in the whole country due to the pandemic, they cannot travel alone concerning their safety issues. And while all this, such behavior of the administration is hurtful.

Keeping the health and safety of the students in mind and the prevailing COVID-19 situation, the administration has decided to conduct Examination in an Online or Open Book Examination mode. Exams are likely to be held after 10th July 2020. Many students complain that AMU constitutes students from every quarter of the country and not everybody belongs to a region with high-grade internet facilities to appear in an online examination or has an access to study material that can be availed on the University campus. In this scenario how will the students appear for the scheduled examinations?

Also, most of the students have filled ‘Aligarh’ as their examination center in the application form for the UGC-NET examination which is postponed due to the pandemic and the revised dates are still not known. If these students leave the hostels now, then they won’t be able to re-enter the hostels before 1st August 2020 as per the University notice.

Despite giving numerous applications and providing utter genuine reasons regarding the evacuation of hostels the students’ entreaties are left unattended. Students allege that they have been under constant pressure by the university administration to evacuate the hostels. This is creating cerebral distress and consternation among the students.

While several students had left the university just ahead of the lockdown, some had decided to stay back but instead of worrying about their students’ welfare university authority is trying to escape from their responsibility towards the students.

When the lockdown was announced in the nation similar cases were reported by students of many universities alleging they are compelled to leave the hostels and threatened to close down the dining if not done so. However, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) had issued an advisory on 21 March 2020, directing institutions to let students stay.

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