Arts & Culture

2020: Not The Year of Students

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As the war on the wretched virus wages on, every single person is also dealing with the consequences of the same. With their whole future in front of them, students are staring a mammoth obstacle in front of them.

The year 2020, as many says, has turned the world upside down. Numerous concerns surround the apprehensive students. The Economic pandemic that will follow this outbreak topping the list. With the markets crashing down, major industries will suffer a huge loss leading to unemployment and layoffs. Travel and Tourism industry which employs around 4 crore people expecting 12 lakh layoffs while the retail industry expects 1 crore layoffs. The stress of having unemployment is already circling every student’s head.

Getting a placement only seems like a handful of a challenge for them. And with DU signalling more delay in third-year examinations, the challenges only seem to increase. While DU authorities are confident that they can conduct the examinations online, many doubt their ambitious plans.

As many students aim for higher students in India as well as abroad, the sudden change in the schedule and work environment of the whole world has left students on pins and needles regarding the upcoming entrances and selections. As many universities from around the world start their entrance examinations and other formalities for admissions from April to June. Students who plan on studying abroad, are becoming sceptical of their future aspects leading them to rethink their priorities and choices.

This botch to the whole semester has left students perturbed. Manav Gupta, a third-year B.Com (Hons) student, said, “The uncertainty which is surrounding the virus as well as our examinations has left me confused and frustrated as to what I should study and what I shouldn’t. It is also truly disheartening that my batch will be missing our last days of college and might even our farewells”.

Not only is this wretched virus affecting the students with dreams of studying  abroad, but also the ones who have been preparing for various entrance examinations in the country. Be it NEET, JEE or SSB, all these exams have been postponed and uncertainty hangs over them.

Akshat Singh Rathore, an Army aspirant who was preparing for SSB this year, said, “Last year I took a drop to prepare for SSB examinations, but not only have the exams been postponed but also the stress over the preparations for the same is growing”.

Similarly, Mrinalika Chauhan, who had recently cleared her Tata Institute of Social Sciences entrance exam, said, “I just cleared my TISS entrance process which includes an exam and a series of interviews. But the result of the same is not being declared due to the coronavirus and this has put me in dilemma, should I wait for the result or should I apply elsewhere also”.

In addition to this, the first and second-year students are also suffering with many teachers facing difficulties in finishing the course in time. Even though many colleges were quick to take classes online but recent incidents have derailed this effort as well. Many teachers have reported incidents of harassment by students in online classes via obscene messages and language.

Speaking on the issue, Shitakshi Thakur, a student of Maharaja Agrasen College, said, “Just recently we had a class on Skype and it was an utter disaster as well as an embarrassing for us students. One of the students disrupted and disturbed the class again and again. It feels like we aren’t ‘educated’ enough to take online classes.”

The Coronavirus and Economic Pandemic along with the social distancing has taken a toll over the students’ mental and emotional health. However, the pandemic is also a stark reminder of how powerless humans are even though we tend to think otherwise.

 

Feature Image Credits: Paintvalley

Aniket Singh Chauhan

[email protected]

Journalism has been called the “first rough draft of history”. D.U.B may be termed as the first rough draft of DU history. Freedom to Express.

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