DU SOL Students Protest: There were heated tensions at Delhi University's Arts Faculty on Sunday when hundreds of students from the School of Open Learning (SOL) gathered to protest against the sudden halt of their BA Programme classes. The protest, led by the Krantikari Yuva Sangathan (KYS), raised serious concerns regarding incomplete syllabus coverage and lack of study material, with final exams approaching just weeks ahead.
According to student statements, they had only 10 to 15 classes for the BA Programme this semester—the largest course of SOL with almost one lakh enrolled students. The protesters claimed that this was extremely inadequate to cover the syllabus, and a large number of students were unprepared and worried about the exams, as per the news agency PTI reports.
"Classes have ended, but most of the syllabus is still pending. How are we supposed to write exams?" questioned one of the agitated students during the protest, as reported by PTI.
KYS alleged the administration of neglecting students’ academic needs by failing to provide adequate Personal Contact Programme (PCP) classes. These sessions, designed to support distance learners, are vital for clearing doubts and reinforcing learning, but were reportedly minimal this semester.
Adding to frustration among students is the incomplete and delayed distribution of printed study materials—another important resource for SOL students, who many rely on these texts to prepare for exams.
"This is a clear violation of UGC guidelines, which require study materials to be given within two weeks of admission," said Bhim Kumar, a member of the Delhi State Committee of KYS. "Even those who received books got only a partial set, and the postal distribution promised by the administration has not reached BA Programme students," he said, as reported by PTI.
Against these issues, protesters placed a list of demands: the reopening of classes at once until the syllabus is finished, postponement of the exams, and immediate distribution of complete printed study materials.
KYS warned that failure to meet these demands would lead to an escalation of protests in the coming days. Meanwhile, the DU administration has yet to issue an official response to the students' grievances.
