UGC Guidelines For University Exams, Academic Calendar Soon

UGC News: An official from the University Grants Commission (UGC) confirmed to NDTV that the guidelines for conducting the pending annual examinations and academic calendar for varsities across India will be released soon. The official from the Commission, the higher education regulator which is currently deliberating on the future plans for the academic activities based on two expert committee reports submitted last week, said the guidelines will be released either on Wednesday or Thursday.

The Commission on Monday called a meeting to discuss issues of academic calendar and conduct of examinations as well as fresh admissions postponed due to COVID-19 lockdown. 

News agency PTI reported that the commission officials deliberated on the recommendations made by two panels set up to look into the issues of academic loss and online education in the wake of the lockdown in the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

One panel has recommended that the academic session in universities and higher educational institutions can be started from September instead of July in view of the COVID-19 situation in the country, while, another panel has suggested that universities should conduct online exams if they have the infrastructure and means or wait for the lockdown to get over and then decide a date for pen-and-paper examinations.

One of the committees led by Haryana University Vice-Chancellor RC Kuhad was formed to look into the ways of conducting exams in universities amid the lockdown and work on an alternate academic calendar. 

The second committee, to suggest measures to improve online education, was led by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) VC Nageshwar Rao. 

According to reports, the Commission has also deliberated on conducting a Common Entrance Test for all undergraduate courses sans the professional courses where entrance examinations have already being held. 

Universities and schools across the country have been closed since March 16 when the Union government announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as one of the measures to contain the outbreak. Later, a nationwide lockdown was announced on March 24 which has now been extended till May 3. 

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