Classes for first year to start from November 1: UGC to universities
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.
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.
In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission has accepted the Report of the Committee and approved the UGC Guidelines on Academic Calendar for the First Year of Under-Graduate and Post-Graduate Students of the Universities for the Session 2020-21, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank' tweeted.
The UGC had in April released an alternative academic calendar for colleges to reopen, with guidelines on exams, mode of study and the schedule.
At that time, the plan was to reopen colleges from September, but it could not materialise due to a continuing surge in coronavirus cases.
As per the revised calendar, the admission process for first year students needs to be completed by October 31 and classes for the first semester should commence by November 1.
In order to compensate for the loss of academic time, the UGC has asked colleges to teach six days a week and shorten the winter break this year and the summer break next year.
The universities are requested to compensate the delay in the start of academic sessions in the subsequent years by curtailing the breaks/vacations so that this batch of students would get their final results for award of degree timely," the guidelines said.
The start of first year of academic session 2020-2021 is delayed due to the circumstances beyond control but efforts be made to compensate the loss of this period by curtailing the breaks (Summer, Winter etc). This would ensure that these students would timely complete their 3 year UG/ PG programme, the UGC guidelines said.
All the universities may follow a 6-day week pattern for the academic session 2020-21 and 2021-2022 to compensate the loss for this batch of students, it added.
Universities and schools across the country have been closed since March 16 when the Centre announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as part of measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.
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Karnataka HC permits Bangalore Hotel Association to serve free food to voters after polling
Bengaluru: The High Court has given the go-ahead to the Bangalore Hotel Association to serve food for free to customers who visit the member-restaurants after casting their votes in the Lok Sabha elections in the city.
The single-judge bench of the High Court, consisting of Justice M Nagaprasanna, heard the case on Wednesday and gave a judgement in favour of the Association.
The Association, which has come up with the offer in coordination with Hotel Nisarga Grand, had clarified earlier that it was offering free food to customers in order to promote voting and help Bengaluru record a high voter turnout. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), however, had challenged in court the Association's application seeking permission to give free food to customers who have voted.
The advocate representing the Association during the hearing on Wednesday told the High Court that the offer was not made to customers with an intention of political gain but only aimed at promoting voter turnout on the day of polling. "The Association has given free food to the voters after polling and requests the High Court to permit it to do so this year too," the lawyer asked the bench.
Justice Nagaprasanna, who heard the arguments presented by both parties, opined that the efforts of the Association at ensuring a high voter turnout were laudable. He passed a judgement permitting hotel owners who were members of the Association to provide voters food for free after they cast their ballots.
