New Delhi: The delayed academic session for freshers in universities and colleges will begin from November 1, and the winter break this year, the summer vacation in 2021 and other holidays would be curtailed to compensate for the time lost, according to the University Grants Commission.
UGC had earlier issued a calender earlier too with a plan was to reopen colleges from September, but it could not materialise due to a continuing surge in coronavirus cases. But considering the current pandemic situation, it has released a revised calendar. This announcement with the revised dates will have to be finalised by the Ministry of Home Affairs, though.
According to the latest calendar, the academic session for freshers will now begin in November instead of September, and the delay will spill over to the next academic session as well.
If there is no final decision from the Ministry of Home Affairs on physically reopening schools and colleges by November, freshers will begin their college education online.
The guidelines by an expert committee, set up for revising the academic calendar in view of COVID-19 pandemic, have been accepted by the UGC and accordingly universities have been recommended a six-day teaching-learning schedule every week.