Delhi: Ever since Delhi University decided to conduct its examinations online through an open-book system, several questions are being raised about the students who do not own smartphones or laptops and how will they appear for exams.
Amidst this, a shocking fact has come to the fore, the 60,000 laptops granted to the students of the deprived, resourceless sections in 2013, are kept in the University.
On one hand, in a survey, lesser availability of resources for the deprived students has been seen while on the other hand, around 60,000 laptops are closed in the colleges of Delhi University.
The students are not able to use these laptops as in maximum colleges, these laptops have not been provided to the students.
Delhi University’s Executive Council member Dr, Rajesh Jha said that in the previous vice chancellor’s administration, laptops were given only to those students who actually needed it.
If the university had given the laptops to the deprived students, it would have been a huge help to them in studies during a pandemic like Covid-19.
A student of History Honors from Vivekanand College said, “I am economically weak, but I never received any laptop from the college. If I would have received it, it would have been a huge help for me in my studies.”
Another second-year student of Economics Honors from Rajdhani College said, “we have not received any laptop from the college for our personal use.” If all the students would have received the laptops, it would have been a huge asset in their studies.
In an online survey conducted by the All India Students’ Association (AISA), in which 1500 students had participated, 67.6% of students have the facilities of laptops, computers, and smartphones while the rest of the 32.4% of students do not have access to these facilities.
Maintenance contract over
The Principal of a college said, “We had received about 1,000 laptops. They have become old now but those students who ask for it, we give it to them.
We are facing a problem in keeping the laptops in the college. Many laptops have stopped working. The college is facing a lot of difficulty in maintaining these laptops.
The contract given by the University to the laptop company was only for 5 years. If the University gives a contract to the company for the maintenance of the laptops, it will prove economical, and not much burden will be put on the colleges.”
