According to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the academic session for the year 2020 for freshers in engineering colleges and other technical institutions across the country will begin from December 1, 2020. The deadline for admissions into various colleges/universities has been further extended due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in the country.
The admission procedure for first-year students was supposed to be completed by October 31 and classes for the first semester were to commence by November 1, as per the academic calendar issued last month.
AICTE secretary Rajive Kumar in an official order, said, "As we all are aware, our country is going through a national emergency that has arisen due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Due to prolonged emergent conditions in the country, requests from various state governments and the ongoing admission process of IITs and NITs, the council has extended the last date of admission to first-year engineering courses (UG and diploma lateral entry) to November 30. The classes may be started in the online, offline or blended mode, following the prescribed protocols and guidelines related to COVID-19.”
There is a chance of further changes in the academic calendar may further, subject to the condition existing due to the pandemic and guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education, AICTE secretary added.
Since March 16 after a nationwide lockdown was announced, Universities and schools across the country have remained closed. As educational institutes are crowded and students can be vulnerable to the infection, the Centre announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as part of the measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
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The University Grants Commission (UGC) in an announcement last month said that the delayed academic session for freshers in universities and colleges will begin from November 1 and the winter break this year, the summer vacations in 2021 and other holidays would be cut down to compensate for the time lost due to the lockdown.
The guidelines framed by an expert committee, set up for revising the academic calendar given the COVID-19 pandemic, were accepted by the UGC and accordingly, the universities have been recommended a six-day teaching-learning schedule every week.