Face-to-face education amid pandemic: ‘We want to live’

* Photo: Social media

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"We, the 3rd semester students, got online education, but were forced to take a face-to-face exam on November 27. We sent petitions to the Dean's Office and campaigned on social media, but we could not prevent it.

"190 people from all across Turkey were forced to be in crowded places such as airports, public transportation and dormitories. Just because there was a possibility that students could cheat in the exams, our school administration put our lives at risk, as they have been still doing."

It is how a group of medical faculty students from the İzmir Katip Çelebi University slam their school administration for calling them to the university despite the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The face-to-face education is, in fact, still going on in the university. On November 27, 190 students took a face-to-face exam in 4 classrooms. A few days later, one student tested positive for the virus.

While this incident caused panic among them, the university administration warned the students, accusing them of "leaking information."

According to one of the class representatives in students' WhatsApp group, lecturers said, "Observe whether you have any symptoms for 5-6 days. Apart from this, there is no need for panic; classes can continue."

To make their voices heard by wider audiences, students have launched a campaign under the hashtag #ikcutiptacoronavar, suggesting that there are coronavirus cases at their Faculty of Medicine.

'Professors only express their good wishes'

One of the students from the university has spoken to bianet:

"Adequate measures were not taken during the exam. People were not asked for their HES codes [documenting whether they are COVID-positive or close contacts]. We were told that face shields were going to be distributed, but it did not happen. We said that we should at least take the exam in a larger number of classrooms; but 190 people took the exam in 4 classrooms and the exam lasted for 110 minutes.

"And the day after, on November 28, we learned that one of our friends tested positive for COVID-19. Now, we, as the entire class, have been observing symptoms at home and trying to protect our families from ourselves by using masks and keeping our distance. Unfortunately, the only thing that our lecturers could do for us was to express their good wishes."

'Our right to life violated'

Another student has also shared the following information:

"Our several friends are confined in İzmir now, they are having difficulty in finding accommodation. In İzmir, where we are called for face-to-face education, our needs for housing, food and Internet are not met.

"We have not received any support though we indicated that several people lost their jobs and had difficulties in making ends meet amid pandemic conditions and we were also having financial difficulties as the private sector, which constituted the vast majority of our income, came to a deadlock. Our basic needs and rights, primarily our right to life, are not met.

"Even though several schools have been giving distance education, our internship as fourth and fifth semester students is still going on at the hospital. We are doing our internship, but we do not even have a place to wait when we have a break.

"Our dining hall does not give us food during lunch breaks. We eat in a narrow space in the canteen. Our classroom at the hospital is very small, it does not even have a window. The lessons that can be easily given online are taught in a classroom of 30. These practices increase contact.

"Face-to-face education and face-to-face exams are still held in other departments of the medical school and in the department of physiotherapy. We are asking: Was it necessary to put students, who are the future of this country, and their families at risk?

"Why is responsibility put entirely on students? And, you, why do you insist on this attitude as physicians yourselves? Isn't it high time that you finally heard our voices? What are you waiting for to accept our requests?"

'We want to live and keep alive'

Students have listed their demands as follows:

"Neither do we want to contract the virus, nor do we want to spread it. Stop risking students' and people's health and give distance education.

"In the city where we have come, we have several expenses such as rent, bills, food and transportation. The university which has called us for face-to-face education and caused extra expenses should support us.

"We are paying the price for the decisions taken about us without our opinions being asked. In making decisions concerning students, students should be included in the decision-making process.

"We are the students of medicine. We want to live and keep people alive. Make decisions by considering students' health so that we can have life, strength and desire left to be a hope for people! We will keep on unionizing, fostering students' solidarity and crying out our objections until students are included in the decision-making process." (EMK/SD)