Acting on a Supreme Court directive, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has decided to implement a national-level uniform academic calendar which would make it mandatory for all universities to conduct their admissions and examinations during the same time period.
Applicable to all Central and state universities, affiliated institutions and deemed-to-be universities, the new academic calendar will ensure that classes for regular courses begins not later than the first week of August for first-year students and not later than the third week of July for second-year students.
However, for professional courses a flexibility of two weeks may be allowed in commencement of classes. The results for all courses shall be declared by not later than the last week of June.
A special consideration may also be given to universities in regions like Kashmir where weather does not allow a regular calendar to be followed.
“We decided on the uniform academic calendar to facilitate mobility of students within the country and also abroad,” Prof M Anandakrishnan, Chairman of Institute of Development Studies, Chennai, who headed the expert committee on the issue, told Deccan Herald.
The other members of the committee set up by the UGC to look into the feasibility of such a uniform academic calendar across the country were former vice-chancellor of Mysore University, Dr S N Hegde and the secretary-general of the Association of Indian Universities, Prof Dayanand Dongaonkar.
“Students wishing to pursue higher studies or postgraduate programmes can plan their career beforehand as they need not lose out because of any delay in announcement of results,” Prof Anandakrishnan said.
“Even in the US and Australia, where a large number of Indian students go for studies, the academic session commences from September and thus our students will have ample time to complete the admission procedure in those universities,” he said, adding that the uniform system would create a more coordinated way of working.
The calendar would also help students willing to migrate in their second or third year of college to another university.
The decision to clear the uniform calendar was taken at a UGC meeting held on February 26, following which the commission decided to make an amendment in the UGC (Minimum Standards of Instruction for the Grant of the First Degree through Formal Education) Regulations, 2003.