Speaking in support of terminal PhD and MPhil students, the Birsa Ambedkar Phule Students’ Association (BAPSA) has reminded the students. Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) And University Grants Commission (UGC) How COVID-19 affected research students. After asking these students to leave the hostel by December 31, Bapsa wrote a long note.
In the official letter, BAPSA asked the UGC and JNU administration to immediately provide an extension to the students so that they can complete their course without feeling “anxiety and undue pressure” and also avoid being forced to drop out.
JNU was closed for several months during the Covid lockdown, and access to the library, laboratory and other university resources was severely restricted to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. According to BAPSA, the UGC and JNU are “now completely ignorant” of any consequences of the pandemic.
According to BAPSA’s official release, the University’s Students’ Union (JNUSU) is watching from a distance as if this burning issue is unimportant to them. “The call by the JNUSU for a protest at the UGC on December 19 will be too late, and the students continue to be anxious and tense,” Bapsa said.
The students’ union said that many students of the PhD terminal batch and 2020 MPhil batch (whose admission was taken in January 2021) are in the process of completing their dissertations. It added, “Without the extension, they will be forced to deregister and drop out (a possible possibility for MPhil students from NEP 2020 onwards), losing many years of academic life.”
The students’ group further claimed that instead of supporting the students, the JNU administration blamed them. According to BAPSA, despite “miserably failing” to provide support for these students, the JNU administration and the UGC are “harassing” them and refusing to accept responsibility.
Students of the PhD and MPhil terminal batches approached the JNU Vice-Chancellor on 15 December to talk about their concerns. However, the students’ union revealed that after a long wait, the vice-chancellor clearly said that the administration cannot give an extension of six months or three months. The association said that they also said that the administration had sent letters to the UGC regarding the issues of the students, but no concrete decision had been taken.
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