The Dean of Faculty of Technology at Delhi University (DU) on Wednesday wrote to the Vice-Chancellor highlighting issues with online modes of education and recommended alternative routes.

With regard to efforts taken by teachers to extend educational resources through digital platforms, the Dean, Sachin Maheshwari, asserted that they could only supplement classroom teaching and had to be made available to all students. However, he argued that many students of the university would not be able to access computers, smartphones or high speed Internet, thus, being deprived. Besides this, he highlighted that effective teaching and conducting of experiments could not take place through such modes.

Mr. Maheshwari also raised concerns of a possible “rat race” wherein restoration of teaching-learning and online evaluation may be proclaimed for “nefarious reasons involving financial, political interests..” This could, thus, prove detrimental to academics, he argued.

Mr. Maheshwari said that the need of the hour was to successfully weather the pandemic and consequently cover lost ground with “holistic team efforts”. He also pointed to other institutions such as IITs which had advanced their summer vacations instead of going through online evaluations.