On the 21st of January, the Cabinet Division declared a two-week shut-down of all schools and colleges of the country to counter the increasing COVID-19 Omicron variant cases and instructed the universities to consider such measures as well.
In response to it, the Dhaka University authorities have decided to shut in-person classes for two weeks.
Despite the discontinuation of in-person classes, the residential halls are to remain open, much to the relief of resident students.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dhaka, Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman, has opined that closing the halls will result in the scattering of students all over the country, in turn making them more vulnerable to the deadly virus.
But there are two sides of this situation. What are the other side - the students - are thinking of it?
Nafisa Islam is a second-year student of the Department of Criminology. The decision came while her semester final examination was underway. Now the remaining exams will be taken online. In her words, the situation seems frustrating.
“I am not supporting the closure of educational institutions this time. Because educational institutions are closed and trade fairs or all other fields are open where public gatherings are more.”
“Therefore, leaving other educational institutions closed will have a bad effect on the education sector,” Nafisa remarked.
Students had to face many problems for the way the online education system started after the lockdown in 2020.
From previous experience, it can be said that in the case of public universities, online education is a big problem for many students.
“The difference between private universities and public universities is seen in the fact that even though private universities are online, they have advanced. At the same time, public university students have had to endure the crisis of session jams at the graduation level,” shared Nafisa.
Fayek Rownak is a second-year student of the Department of Chemistry who has been stuck in his sophomore year since 2020. And his frustration is evident from his words.
“I am feeling so depressed now. When I heard the news, my first reaction was - I want to run away from this system. The decision seems unnecessary, frustrating and somewhat depressing.”
He is certain that the closure will extend and from his previous experience with the online classes, he is not at all optimistic about it, as he remarked, “There's no proper management down here. It's just a chaos of decisions and doing whatever they can think of.”
Sumaya Oishee, a third-year student from the Institute of Health Economics, tends to see the situation with a little hope.
“I think online classes and exams can be conducted in subjects of Arts, Social Sciences, and Business faculty. However, the technological constraints are a major issue for the Science Faculty.”
“My institute is well underway to complete the semester in four months, and I do not think we will be that far behind from our private university peers,” said Sumaya.
She is a resident of Shamsunnahar Hall, and she thinks keeping the halls open is a necessity for students.
“When you stay in your hall with your peers, you feel that you have a goal, a purpose in your life. The feeling is missing when you are stuck in your home.”
It is hard for those who have come from the distant corners of the country to attend online classes due to poor connectivity. Also, there is the tuition issue.
MD Rashedul Islam Rashed is a student of the Department of Sociology and a resident of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib-ur Rahman Hall. Expressing his concern, he said, “One of my friends could not attend online examinations due to such issues. Staying in the halls ensures us of the stable network necessary for online classes and exams. Many of us have finally got new tuition, and losing them at this moment is not an option for them anymore.”
Samiha Akbar is doing her Masters at the Department of Development Studies. Her words sound cautiously optimistic as she thinks that proper online education is still an ongoing process that is going through various trials and errors.
Based on the previous experience, the students are rightfully worried about their future. And so the authorities need to learn their lessons from the past and make sure everyone gets bypassed online, and nobody is left behind.