DU School of Open Learning students claim classes postponed on Day 1 due to film shooting

While many students complained that they were retuned back by the centres citing “lack of space”, a group of students said that at a centre in north campus they were told that classes could not be held because a “film shooting was scheduled” there.

The first day of the academic session was marred by chaos and mismanagement at the Delhi University’s (DU) School of Open Learning (SOL) on Sunday with hundreds of students alleging that they were made to wait for hours outside their respective centres. Some students alleged that they had to return back without attending any class as the colleges informed them their academic schedule was postponed.

Students at DU’s north campus (File)

According to the students, they had received messages from their respective centres about the beginning of the session. “When we reached to our centre in DU’s north campus we were told that the classes were postponed to next week. We were not even allowed to enter the campus,” said Shradhha Kumari, a first-year BA in political science student at the SOL.

While many students complained that they were retuned back by the centres citing “lack of space”, a group of students said that at a centre in north campus they were told that classes could not be held because a “film shooting was scheduled” there. “In some centres more than 400 students were tossed into classrooms, despite more classrooms being available. It should be known only 7-8 classrooms were opened for the students despite the availability of more than 50 classrooms at each centre,” said Rohit, a member of the students’ group Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS).

CS Dubey, director SoL, rejected the allegations and said that the classes were smoothly in many centers. “Some students were trying to create unnecessary issues at the centre and that’s why they were not allowed inside. Some students reached late to their centre or did not report to the assigned centre,” he said.