State varsities to implement academic calendar within month after lockdown is lifted: West Bengal education minister

All the state universities in West Bengal will implement the academic calendar in their respective institutions within a month after the lockdown is lifted, Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said on Saturday.

Chatterjee, who earlier in the day held a videoconference with vice-chancellors of all the state universities, told reporters at an online press conference that the VCs have decided on how to conduct the classes and the final semester examinations.

"The academic calendar, including examinations, will be put into effect within a month after the lockdown is lifted," he said.

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Chatterjee said the institutions have also received the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines in this regard and the issue came up in the meeting held during the day.

He had earlier said that the UGC guidelines reflect the recommendations made by the state government on issues such as conducting terminal examinations in the post-lockdown period.

"The faculty members of the universities are also in touch with the students by taking online classes. We appreciate the institutions and their staff for the effort," he said.

Chatterjee also thanked the Calcutta University authorities for lending its real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) equipment to the state government for detection and study of COVID-19. The equipment has met the WHO guidelines, he said.