Universities In West Bengal To Start New Academic Session In December

The academic calendar in undergraduate and postgraduate programs at various Bengal Universities will start in December. Partha Chatterjee, Education Minister of West Bengal said after a virtual meeting with the vice-chancellors on Sunday that undergraduate classes in Bengal’s government-run colleges and government-aided universities are unlikely to start before the first week of December.

Chatterjee said, “I held a meeting with the vice-chancellors. I will update chief minister Mamata Banerjee about the outcome of the meeting. But let me inform you about the possibilities of starting the session.  It will be difficult to start the academic session before the first week of December. This is subject to consideration.”

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What You Should Know

• Partha Chatterjee, Education Minister of West Bengal said that undergraduate and postgraduate are unlikely to start before the first week of December.
• The academic session has been delayed until December keeping in mind the upcoming festive season.
• Vice-chancellors said that each university will decide on its own how to make the classes, inclusive for students living in urban and rural areas.

The Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, and Chatterjee first said they will start the session on November 2 but due to festive occasions in November, they decided to push the date till December. Chatterjee reportedly said that festivals like Kali Puja, Diwali, and Chhath Puja are lined up in the entire month of November. Subsequently, he informed that all classes can be held on digital platforms because gatherings are banned on campuses due to COVID-19. Classes will be held six days a week.

Chatterjee further explained about the online and offline mode of teaching. He said whether the classes will be entirely online or there will also be an offline mode of teaching will depend on the situation at that time.

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Admission procedure

Reportedly in another important decision, the universities decided to reserve eighty percent of total seats under different PG courses for students who had studied UG courses under the colleges, affiliated to the university, or studied in the UG course at the same university (like Jadavpur University).

The undergraduate level will be over by October 31. However, the admission procedure at the postgraduate level can be completed only at the end of November. 

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The minister and the vice-chancellors of universities decided not a single student will be left out in the online class module. The vice-chancellors reportedly said that each university will decide on its own how to make the classes inclusive for students living in urban and rural areas. However, the decision must be taken in consultation with the faculty and student representatives.

Earlier, Mamata Banerjee announced that the schools, colleges and universities would remain closed till September 20. She announced that under these circumstances, it was not beneficial to lift the lockdown completely reported The Telegraph.

Sagrika Giri is an intern with SheThePeople.TV