Even as colleges across the state are slowly returning to in-person lectures, students at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) continue to wonder why they are still attending online classes. A letter, signed by more than 200 students of the institute was sent to the authorities concerned on November 15, urging them to open up the campus. However, they are yet to get a response on the same.

The letter states, “The pandemic has affected the student community in the worst possible manner. Majority of the students belonging to marginalised communities are going through a tough time due to the digital divide in the absence of basic resources like availability of electricity, internet connectivity and space for studies. These constraints are leading to anxiety, mental health issues and other psychological problems among students. Similarly, for research scholars in the absence of library space, it is difficult to continue their work in an efficient manner. The COVID-19 situation is now getting better, so we strongly demand that the campus be reopened based on proper guidelines in the next 15 days, for research scholars in the first phase.”