UGC calls meet to discuss fresh admissions, exams

The University Grants Commission (UGC) on Monday called an emergent meeting to discuss issues of academic calendar and conduct of examinations as well as fresh admissions postponed due to COVID-19 lockdown.

The commission officials deliberated on the recommendations made by two panels set up to look into the issues of academic loss and online education in the wake of the lockdown in the country due to the coronavirus pandemic.

One of the committees led by Haryana University Vice-Chancellor RC Kuhad was formed to look into the ways of conducting exams in universities amid the lockdown and work on an alternate academic calendar.

The second committee, to suggest measures to improve online education, was led by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) VC Nageshwar Rao. Both the panels submitted their reports on Friday last week.

"An emergent meeting was held today through video conferencing. Both the reports, guidelines and implementations plans were discussed at length and some suggestions were given by the commission members. We will soon issue guidelines for universities and colleges," UGC Secretary Rajnish Jain said.

Universities and schools across the country have been closed since March 16 when the Union government announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as one of the measures to contain the outbreak. Later, a nationwide lockdown was announced on March 24 which has now been extended till May 3.

The panels are believed to have recommended that the academic session be started from September than July and universities should conduct online exams if they have the infrastructure and means or wait for the lockdown to get over and then decide a date for pen-and-paper examinations.