IIT Delhi students want current semester to be halted: Survey by Board of Student Welfare


A majority of IIT Delhi students surveyed by the Board of Student Welfare have said they want the current semester to be halted for now because of the stress they are under because of the Covid situation in the country. The students have suggested at the rest of the semester be conducted in July.

A majority of IIT Delhi students want the current semester to be halted for now because of the stress they are under because of the Covid situation in the country, according to a survey by the Board of Student Welfare. The students have suggested that the rest of the semester be conducted in July.

The board had surveyed 450 students on April 19. A statement issued by the board said that of the respondents, around 64 per cent had family members who were suffering from Covid, and 14 per cent of the students were themselves infected. Out of these, the statement said, 85 per cent were at home and 12 per cent lodged at government facilities.

The survey asked students about their wellbeing and 34 per cent said they were not good but could cope; 21 per cent said that the recent times were very, very harsh; 16 per cent said times were not good and they needed help; 16 per cent said they felt they were doing better than others and only 10 per cent said that they had no problems.

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Most of the students said since they or their family members were suffering from Covid, they were having difficulty attending online classes and doing regular assignments. “The mental peace of the students is degrading seeing the number of cases and difficulties faced after you test positive (medicines not available, beds not available),” the statement said.

“Some are stressed because they are not able to find jobs or internships which are very important for them at this point… Many of them underperformed in minors (exams) due to the stressful environment,” it added.

Students also said they felt that they are not getting much help as “professors have not been very lenient and have been giving strict deadlines for almost all courses. In scenarios like these, if a student has Covid themselves or someone in their family has it, they miss out on a lot, which ultimately affects their grades significantly,” said the statement.

Among other suggestions was a 7 to 10 day break immediately to cope with the present situation, anxiety and stress; taking regular feedback from students’ reduction in academic pressure; welfare sessions to mental health and reduction in financial burden.



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