Kashmir varsity not letting its students access internet facility

Srinagar: Even after the government’s cap on accessible websites in Kashmir, students at the Central University of Kashmir (CUK) are being denied internet by the administration, though they are still being charged for it.
The students are being asked to undergo a proper verification of their credentials before the internet facility at the university campus is allowed to them.
Several students enrolled at the CUK’s Mathematics department complained that the varsity administration had altogether deprived them of the internet facility. Students of the mathematics department at the varsity’s Behama campus in particular alleged that the administration had not even fixed the routers for internet access.
In absence of internet at the department, the aggrieved students – currently in the 7th semester of their BSc Mathematics programme – said they were yet to submit the project work of their 6th semester as it was to be submitted online.
They said that officials at the varsity told them that the internet set-up “had been broken down by snowfall”.
They said there was no justification for the administration to deprive them of internet, more so when they were being charged for the facility every semester and had undergone verification of their academic credentials for the purpose.
The varsity administration, they said, had asked them to register anew for using the facility.
“But they are not starting the registration process either,” rued a student.
The aggrieved students and researchers also questioned the government’s recent internet restrictions, with only access to “white listed” websites allowed. Students and scholars both said they could not access the relevant educational and research websites.
“We used to access online books in view of limited books in the libraries, but due to the internet blockade, we have been deprived of books as well,” a student at the CUK’s Mathematics department said.
A PhD scholar from the same department complained that research work was getting affected due to the internet blockade as scholars had to a great extent rely on online study material.
Another scholar pursuing his doctorate at CUK’s Economics department expressed the same resentment at the blockade on relevant research websites.
“Researchers at the varsity are totally handicapped as they can’t access the relevant websites,” another student, pursuing law at the varsity, said.
The student told Kashmir Reader that law department students were given access to a select few websites in view of the upcoming moot court competition.
Acknowledging the inconvenience faced by students and scholars due to the internet blockade, CUK Vice Chancellor Prof Meraj ud Din Mir expressed helplessness.
He, however, said that he will raise the matter with the officials concerned.

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