Updated: September 28, 2020 8:31:25 am
While admissions to UG courses will end on October 31, the admission procedure to PG courses will be completed only at the end of November.
West Bengal’s Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said on Sunday that undergraduate (UG) classes would start on November 2 after the admissions process for freshmen university students is completed at the end of October. Graduate (PG) classes would start the following month, he added.
The decisions were made in an online meeting that the minister held with the rectors of state universities.
“It has been decided that the new academic year will start in December. Until November there are several festivals. After Durga Puja in October, there are Kali Puja, Diwali, Bhai Dooj, Chhat Puja, and Milad un-Nabi. So there is no point in starting the academic year from November and then observing so many holidays due to these holidays. Therefore, it is ideal to start the new academic year from December, ”Chatterjee told reporters.
The minister added, “However, classes for undergraduate courses will start from November 2 and the same for postgraduate courses will start from December. Classes will be held online and the respective universities and colleges will set the modalities “.
While admissions to UG courses will end on October 31, the admission procedure to PG courses will be completed only at the end of November.
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The education minister said his department would write to the University Scholarship Commission (UGC), asking it to allow the state to start the new academic year from December.
In a notice on Sept. 22, the UGC said that the admissions process for UG freshmen should be completed by Oct. 31 and that classes should resume on Nov. 1.
Meanwhile, sources said universities decided to reserve 80 percent of places in PG courses for students who completed their graduation from an affiliated university or the institute itself. The decision was made due to the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions on transportation. As a result, many graduates may find it difficult to pursue higher education at out-of-state institutions.
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