Students have mixed feelings on return to campus

Students nationwide are having mixed feelings about going back to classes, following the announcement on the reopening of colleges and universities.

Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam student Natasya Amirah, 22, is excited to return to university not just to meet her friends, but also to make use of campus resources.

“I am looking forward to using the library because my Internet connection at home is not that good. It would be easier for me to do my research work in the library,” she said yesterday.

Some have also expressed joy at being able to continue with their projects and laboratory work.

UiTM Shah Alam postgraduate student Zafirah Zainal Abidin and Felicia Ling from Universiti Malaysia Sabah were excited to resume their lab work after months of delay.

Ling is eager to complete her final-year project, which will enable her to graduate.

Sunway University student Chester Lau, 21, looks forward to having face-to-face classes, which is a more efficient way of communication between students and lecturers.

“The problem with online classes is they are often slow and lagging,” he said.

Fellow university mate Tee Yi Yang, 22, felt that lecturers would be able to guide students better on their learning and coursework compared to using an online platform.

However, some students such as Subaash Chandran, 23 and Mohit Lalchandani, 19, both from Inti International College Subang, expressed their concerns about universities reopening.

They feel some universities might not have the ability to adhere to the social distancing rules effectively due to the size of some lecture halls.

“Even a lecture hall with 40 to 50 students would still be risky without proper ventilation,” said Mohit.

Dania Karmila Khairunnizam, 19, from University of Cyberjaya, is worried for students who are staying far from campus, as returning to their university might not be financially feasible.

Diong Boh Wen, 24, from Universiti Malaysia Sabah, suggested students undergo a swab test prior to their return to campus.