The Union Ministry of Education on September 22 approved the revised UGC guidelines on the academic calendar for first-year undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) students for the academic session 2020-21.
According to the latest UGC calendar, the academic session for freshers will now begin in November, and the delay will also impact the next academic session as well.
Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ took to Twitter to announce in this regard. “The UGC has accepted the report of the committee and approved the UGC guidelines on academic calendar for the first year of undergraduate and postgraduate students of the Universities for the Session 2020-21,” he tweeted.
In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission has accepted the Report of the Committee and approved the @ugc_india Guidelines on Academic Calendar for the First Year of Under-Graduate and Post-Graduate Students of the Universities for the Session 2020-21.
Suggested calendar? pic.twitter.com/JPYNhiWb0k
— Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank (@DrRPNishank) September 22, 2020
Minister Pokhriyal further added that a full refund for the admission cancellation will be made to students till November. “To avoid financial hardship being faced by the parents due to lockdown and related factors, a full refund of fees will be made on account of all cancellation of admissions/ migration of students, up to 30.11.2020, for this very session as a special case,” he said.
Union Education Ministry has also advised all higher education institutions to hold classes six days a week to make up for lost learning hours. The ministry has also advised the institutions to curtails the breaks and vacations
In April this year, the UGC had released an alternate academic calendar, in which classes for first-year students were scheduled to begin from 1 September. In the same academic calendar, universities were advised to conduct final-year exams between 1 to 15 July.
In July, the UGC issued fresh guidelines asking all universities to conduct final-year exams by the end of September. These guidelines were challenged in the Supreme Court, which in August said that states cannot pass final-year university students without exams.
