Colleges are also providing regular counseling to students who are facing psychological issues to help them adjust to the new environment.
Delhi University reopened last Thursday and students are coming in good numbers. The colleges are expecting more students to come in the coming days. However, the return of a large number of students is causing problems in ensuring adherence to the COVID protocol. Moreover, according to the college principals, there have been an increase in the cases of physical issues among the students.
Along with this, colleges are scrambling to provide quality education to the students and at the same time not to compromise on their health.
“We are all trying to follow the COVID protocol. Since the students are coming in large numbers, it is difficult to maintain social distancing. There is also the problem of overcrowding. Social distancing is impossible but we have to wear masks and other protocols. There is strict compliance, Anju Srivastava, principal of Hindu College, told PTI.
As colleges are opening after a gap of two years, Srivastava believes that things will take time to settle down.
“We still have students coming in. It will take time for it to fully open up and we are working on that. We hope to settle down very soon. We need to prioritize everything from classrooms to cafeterias to hostels All things should be taken into account,” she said.
Meanwhile, Manoj Khanna, principal of Ramjas College, said that the anxiety level among the students is very high.
“Suddenly there has been an increase in psychological issues among the students. The anxiety level among the students is very high among the students. We send them to the counsellor,” he said.
He stressed that it is quite difficult to maintain social distancing inside the campus.
“Our infrastructure is not such that we can accommodate all the students so we are taking classes in batches. We cannot isolate the students. Though we try to maintain social distance in the classrooms but students meet outside And it is very difficult to force them to maintain social distancing,” he said.
The colleges have said that they are ensuring that proper counseling is provided to the students.
Jaswinder Singh, principal of Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa College, said, “We have trained counselors. We are providing counseling to the students. The counselor comes twice every week. But if there are urgent matters, we will provide the students with the counsellor’s telephone details. provide.”
Some teachers are also taking classes in the open ground to avoid overcrowding. The principal of Hindu College said, “We have given permission to sit outside to hold classes in the open. Many teachers are taking classes in the open.
Bijaylakshmi Nanda, Principal, Miranda House said that the priority is to provide a complete college experience to the students, keeping in mind that their health is not affected.
“We are suggesting that the college have open ground because transmission is less when they are open. We are making sure they go outside and into the classroom when they are asking to open doors and windows. We Seeing that they are wearing masks,” he said.
The Principal also informed that the college is starting a new welfare scheme for this year to provide monetary assistance to the students who are facing financial difficulties.
“We are also working on providing student aid to students such as providing them with living expenses. By next week, we are making a list of students who need welfare assistance and it will be provided to them as the city The cost of living has gone up,” she said.
“This is the new thing other than scholarship, we are starting, which will be available only for this year. Under this, financial assistance will be given to the needy students. Based on the need, some amount will be provided. During this period As a welfare aid to the students,” she added.
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