Colleges and universities can start from November 1: UGC

Colleges and universities across the country will begin the new academic session from November 1, with shorter winter and summer vacation to make up for the time lost due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

However, this is subject to decision by the Home Ministry on re-opening of colleges by November, failing which freshers will begin their college education online.

The University Grants Commission on Tuesday released the revised Guidelines on Academic Calendar for the First Year of Under-Graduate and Post-Graduate Students of the Universities for the Session 2020-21

Schools were opened for students of Class IX to XII on a voluntary basis from September 21 as part of Unlock 4.0. Besides, the government had also allowed the opening of higher education institutions for PhD scholars and post-graduate students of technical and professional programmes requiring laboratory and experimental work.

The UGC had in April released an alternative academic calendar for colleges to reopen, with guidelines on exams, mode of study and the schedule. The colleges were then expected to open in September.

As per the revised calendar, the admission process for first-year students needs to be completed by October 31 and classes for the first semester should commence by November 1.

In order to compensate for the loss of academic time, the UGC has asked colleges to teach six days a week and shorten the winter break this year and the summer break next year.

“The universities are requested to compensate the delay in the start of the academic session in the subsequent years by curtailing the breaks/vacations so that this batch of students would get their final results for the timely award of degree,” the guidelines said.

Universities and schools across the country have been closed since March 16 when the Centre announced a countrywide classroom shut down as part of measures to contain the spread of Covid-19.

Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said 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.

On cancellation/ withdrawal of admissions up to December 31, 2020, the entire fee collected from a student will be refunded in full after deduction of not more than Rs 1000 as processing fee, the minister said.