Online study not enough, design students move HC

 Online study not enough, design students move HC

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TIMES NEWS NETWORK

09.01.2022

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat high court issued notice to Karnavati University and the University Grants Commission (UGC) after two students filed petitions demanding refund of fees on the grounds of the deficiency of online education in teaching the subject of designing and that their parents’ income fell in Covid-19 times, resulting in them opting to cancel their admissions.

According to the case details, two students from Indore – Anushka Jain and Ashree Neema – took the entrance test in January 2020 for designing courses offered by United world Institue of Design of Karnavati University in Gandhinagar.

In April, they were told that they had succeeded and would be granted a dmission. They chose a four-year degree course in designing. They paid Rs 1 lakh fees in May 2020.

On July 23, 2020, the university informed them that  their education programme would begin two weeks later. These students were not comfortable with the online  mode of education. It was the only mode of teaching permitted by the governments due to the prevailing Covid situation in 2020.

They decided to cancel their admission and their parents sought a refund of the fees from the university in August 2020, which the university apparently refu-sed.

They also cited their weakened financial conditions due to the pandemic and restrictions imposed to control the spread of the virus.

When they did not receive the refund for over a year, both students moved the high court in December 2021 through advocate Anvesh Vyas, who argued that the design course opted for by the students cannot be taught properly online as it requires a practical approach. Besides, the parents of these students also struggled like many others in their businesses and suffered drastic reductions in their incomes.

The lawyer cited a circular issued by the UGC on December 17, 2020, directing all universities, including private ones, to refund the entire fees if students opt to cancel or migrate up to December 31, 2020. Provisions for refund of fees were made especially for that academic year due to the Covid pandemic.

The HC is to hear this case further on January 12.