The academic session for UG-PG first year students will now start from 1st November

With the end of the second semester, the academic year will be counted till August 2021

(PTI) New Delhi, Ta. Tuesday, September 22, 2020

The delayed academic session for UG-PG first year students in universities and colleges will now start from November 1. A new academic calendar has been announced by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Winter vacations and summer vacations, including Diwali-Christmas, will also be reduced in the current year as education work is delayed due to Corona. Students will only get a little leave to prepare for the semester exams and a few days break before the start of the second semester at the end of the first semester.

The UGC has accepted the guideline given by the committee appointed to revise the academic session due to the Koro epidemic. The committee has made recommendations for the first year academic calendar of undergraduates and postgraduates for the year 2020-21.

The UGC has accepted the recommendations, said Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank. The UGC introduced an alternative academic calendar in April to start colleges. The calendar also included guidelines for running exams and courses. Colleges for new entrants at that time were planned to start from 1st September.

However, due to the steady rise in Corona cases, colleges have not been started in September and examinations have been delayed as well as the admission process for new students. According to the new revised calendar announced by UGC, first year admissions to Uni-Colleges have to be completed by October 31.

Classes for the first semester should start from November 1. The UGC has also directed colleges to teach six days a week and reduce winter and summer vacations to offset the educational losses incurred due to delay in the start of the academic year due to corona.

Colleges and schools across the country have been closed since March 16 due to the corona.

According to the UGC's new academic calendar, the first semester will have a preparatory break from March 1 to March 7 and examinations will be held from March 8 to March 26. The semester break will be from March 27 to April 4 and the even semester i.e. the second semester will start from April 5.

There will be a preparatory break from 1st August to 8th August before the examinations in the second semester and examinations for the second semester will be held from 9th August to 21st August. There will be a semester break from August 22nd to August 29th.

The new academic session for this batch of students will have to start from August 30 of the year.