ABSTRACT
COVID-19 has affected over 200 million people in the world. Schools, colleges, universities, and other institutions have either been forced to shut down or move to online platforms, leading to changes in the approaches taken by teachers, students, and administrators. This study analyzes the impact of COVID-19 on India’s higher education system, as it is one of the most significant countries in terms of population, economy, and education, and where lockdown due to coronavirus has impacted a vast number of institutions. This study conducted an online survey with the teachers, students, and administration members of seventeen departments at the University of Delhi, across various colleges, dealing with diverse graduate and post-graduate courses in science, commerce, and humanities streams. The University of Delhi is one of India’s most prominent universities, owned by the Central Government, with more than 175 colleges, departments, and independent bodies working under it and catering to more than 130,000 students.
The results indicated that faculty members from different departments find it difficult to immediately switch to online learning platforms from traditional classroom teaching platforms. The students, primarily from tier 2–3 cities, face difficulties concerning setting up online learning infrastructure and getting themselves prepared for industry placements. The administrative system is principally a paper-based system that does not have much online support for conducting regular administrative activities and is impacted by work-from-home policies. IT modernization is in progress, and there are central video-conferencing facilities in place. Also, the science departments are more tech-savvy and are better equipped to handle such situations with the help of available global tools. Despite difficulties during the lockdown period, the various students and teachers still perceive this university as having a positive image and want to come back again place. This study will be helpful for administrators, teachers, and researchers at public and private institutions. It will help find solutions to significant problems through online technologies, innovative policies, and world-level practices.
