I feel proud of my college and the way they are managing this situation: Shikhar, NIT

These are first-hand student accounts on how our young population is managing to keep their exam prep or college course work going from the confines of their homes. In case you want to share your lockdown study experience, write to us at publish@shiksha.com.

Set in the remotest part of North-East India, National Institute of Technology has always been active in taking new initiatives and trying to get ahead of the crowd. No wonder it is one of the most sought-after institutes in the north-east.

The current pandemic is devastating but the way our college handled it is really impressive and deserves all the appreciation. First of all, the students who left the college after the weekend of 7th March were kept in quarantine upon their return and that was assured even before any government regulation. Next, just after the initial measures of the central government, NIT Silchar stopped the classes from 11th to 30th March and asked all the hostellers to leave the college and go back home by 15th March.

Special stay facilities were arranged for international students from the very next day, as they were not able to return home. Special buses were arranged to drop all the students from their hostels to bus stops, railway station and airport. The buses maintained social distancing among students. Along with providing hand sanitizers to all the student groups. Even face masks were provided to those who had a cough or felt the need.

After returning home, we thought maybe nothing will happen now in college but it was quite the opposite. The moment the first case was recorded in Silchar on 21st March, NIT Silchar offered to provide quarantine facilities to all the people suspected of coronavirus and also agreed to work with the administration to use their resources for the well-being of the area.

Even the online classes started just after one week. Classes are being held regularly, with both online live classes and study material being provided in sufficient quantity. These are definitely keeping up the morale of students now spread across the nation. Other than that, assignments are being provided on a weekly basis which will replace the practical and viva marks. The authorities are also planning to conduct online MCQ type exams and assess students leniently amidst the crisis.

Other than this, the most appreciable thing is that to support the learning of students the college has purchased an entire license from Coursera under which any student of NIT Silchar can do any course free of cost which is really helping the final and pre-final year students and compensating for the loss of internships that students face this semester because of the outbreak.

Further, the project works are also going on. Various faculties have come forward to freely let students work on projects under them in work from home environment and trying their best to improve the skill set of students and provide them with hands-on experience.

Finally, along with authorities, even the student bodies are working hard for the society and students. The literary society is conducting various quizzes and other fun events to keep the students from being bored. On the other hand, the branch societies and robotics and coding clubs are regularly conducting online technical events to help the students harness their skills.

Moreover, though there hasn’t been a fixed announcement, the authorities are planning to prepone the summer break so as to improve on any losses and placements in the next semester.

The whole nation is going through a tough time and amidst it, the college authorities and the Director have regularly kept touch with students, adding motivational posts and updating about the new resources. I feel proud of my college and how it is handling this situation. I just hope we all survive this and get back to our normal lives.

About the Author:

Shikhar Gupta is a third-year undergraduate student at NIT Silchar. He is currently the General Secretary for his branch society (ECS) and the Vocal Skills Club Head for Illuminits: Literary Publication and Fine Arts Society. He is an avid reader, writer and a block chain-enthusiast. He was recently the winner of the RBI Regional Policy Challenge on Non-Banking Framework.