Students across Pakistan have turned to social media to demand their universities remedy the failures of online learning.

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“Students are stressed and depressed. There is an intense requirement of self-direction and students are in trouble to manage these issues,” Twitter user @iqra_bisma tweeted.

Students are stressed and depressed. There is an intense requirement of self-direction and students are in trouble to manage these issues.#ResolveIssuesOfStudents pic.twitter.com/aRD4cUzA10

— iqra bisma (@iqra_bisma) June 9, 2020

Students took their grievances to Twitter with #ResolveIssuesOfStudents, about the lack of action from the Higher Education Commission during the transition to online classes.

Students are requesting a refund of university fees that have not been waived since the transition to remote learning.

Campus closures because of the coronavirus pandemic has left many unemployed, and students and their families are struggling to pay school fees.

“There are students who used to pay their fee by [their] own pocket money,” said Usman Raza Jolaha, 26, student of National Defense University in Islamabad. “But in lockdown they are unable because of no jobs or [they were] fired from [their] jobs.”

Students gathered outside of the Higher Education Commision (HEC) office in Islamabad on June 3 to express their demands. The HEC answered in a press release, saying, “students were told to inform HEC about any specific issue that will be taken up with the respective university.”

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The Volunteer Force Pakistan, a non-profit and non-political youth organization, started the hashtag #ResolveIssuesOfStudents on Twitter to bring attention to students’ needs. The online protest also maintains physical distancing during the pandemic.

“As we can't go outside in this pandemic, we are utilizing online tools for protest to convey our message to intelligentsia and policy makers,” said Jolaha, founder and president of Volunteer Force Pakistan.

Students say they have been harassed or expelled for complaining about online classes, and they identified themselves only by a single name.

In a letter circulating on Twitter, Capital University of Science and Technology told a student he was being expelled for violating university rules of discipline by using social media to protest online classes.

A student from CUST received this letter. Threat of rustication is given to him for protesting online.#ResolveIssuesOfStudents pic.twitter.com/Sx2SxvAxtd

Wtf.
A student from CUST received this letter. Threat of rustication is given to him for protesting online.#ResolveIssuesOfStudents pic.twitter.com/Sx2SxvAxtd

— Muhammad Rizwan (@janifriction) June 9, 2020

Universities across the world have moved classes online to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic. However, for students who have limited or no access to the internet, completing requirements for their online courses is challenging and sometimes impossible.

For many students like Sheeza Sarwar, 22, slow internet connection causes frustration and difficulties.

“I have to move outside of my house to download videos and pictures ... the internet is very slow inside [of my] house,” said Sarwar.

The lack of internet connection reflects the urban-rural divide in Pakistan.

“The network in the other areas of our country isn’t as good as the broadband in the cities,” said Elina Ghosh, 19. “Therefore, I end up missing my classes and miss a lot of classwork.”

According to a report from the International Telecommunication Union database, in 2017, only 16 percent of the population of Pakistan had access to the internet.

Educators are struggling, too.

“The teachers are also in distress,” said Jolaha. “Of course, they care about students' future.”

Sarwar says that teachers are finding it difficult to deliver lectures online.

“They are trying their best but still we are facing problems,” said Sarwar. “Online teaching is difficult for them too.”

With limited to no internet access for students across the country, some suggest that universities should cancel their final exams, using the hashtag #SayNoToFinalExams.

However, others say this is not the answer.

“Boycotting online classes/exams is not the solution. Govt officials should sit with the students & academic experts to find out solution for the future of students,” tweeted user @mohsin_fareed_6 on June 10.

Boycotting online classes/exams is not the solution.

Govt officials should sit with the students & academic experts to find out solution for the future of students.

Uni's shouldn't charge fee.

Govt should subsidise education of students for this year.#ResolveIssuesOfStudents

— Mohsin_Fareed (@mohsin_fareed_6) June 10, 2020

Students in Pakistan and worldwide have reported an increase of stress because of the switch to online learning.

A teenage girl committed suicide because she did not have a television or smart phone to access online classes, reported Pakistan Today.

Ghosh said the uncertainty of the situation leads to anxiety.

“We absolutely do not have any idea when the colleges are going to open,” she said.

Others say the uncertainty of the progress of their education is more mentally draining than the global pandemic.

“Attendance, assignments, quizzes, and the fear of online exams are more depressing than the COVID19 itself,” tweeted @ujalalalala on June 9.

Attendance, assignments, quizzes, and the fear of online exams are more depressing than the Covid19 itself.#ResolveIssuesOfStudents

— Ujala Meer Bon🌙 (@ujalalalala) June 9, 2020

The administration of President Donald Trump said on Monday it will review Columbia University's federal contracts and grants over allegations of antisemitism, which it says the educational institution has shown inaction in tackling.

Rights advocates note rising antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias since U.S. ally Israel's devastating military assault on Gaza began after Palestinian Hamas militants' deadly October 2023 attack.

The Justice Department said a month ago it formed a task force to fight antisemitism. The U.S. Departments of Health and Education and the General Services Administration jointly made the review announcement on Monday.

"The Federal Government's Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the Federal Government," the joint statement said.

The agencies said no contracting actions had been taken yet.

"The task force will also conduct a comprehensive review of the more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University."

The agencies did not respond to requests for comment on whether there were similar reviews over allegations of Islamophobia and anti-Arab bias.

Columbia had no immediate comment. It previously said it made efforts to tackle antisemitism.

College protests

Trump has signed an executive order to combat antisemitism and pledged to deport non-citizen college students and others who took part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Columbia was at the center of college protests in which demonstrators demanded an end to U.S. support for Israel due to the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel's assault on Gaza. There were allegations of antisemitism and Islamophobia in protests and counter-protests.

During last summer's demonstrations around the country, classes were canceled, some university administrators resigned and student protesters were suspended and arrested.

While the intensity of protests has decreased in recent months, there were some demonstrations last week in New York after the expulsion of two students at Columbia University-affiliated Barnard College and after New York Governor Kathy Hochul ordered the removal of a Palestinian studies job listing at Hunter College.

A third student at Barnard College has since been expelled, this one related to the occupation of the Hamilton Hall building at Columbia last year.

The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.

It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.

In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.

Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.

Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.

"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.

The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.

An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."

House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."

Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.

Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.

The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.

"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."

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