Odisha: New academic session may get delayed by 3 months
BHUBANESWAR: The 2021-2022 academic session could be delayed by around three months due to Covid-19 pandemic, higher education department secretary Saswat Mishra said on Thursday. As far as exams in undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) courses are concerned, they would be held after physical classes are conducted for 70-80 days.
Normally, academic session in first year UG and PG courses begin in August-September every year. Since the ongoing session is already delayed, the next academic session will be delayed by at least three months, another official of the higher education department said.
This delay will also hamper the conduct of exams and publication of results. The colleges and universities will have to hold extra classes to cover the syllabus so that things get back to normal in the next academic calendar, the official added.
“We are trying to reopen the colleges and universities very soon, but the state government will take the decision regarding this,” Mishra told the media.
“We cannot conduct examination without holding offline classes because a large number of students did not have access to online classes. If we hold examinations on the basis of online classes, it will be an injustice to students who could not attend online classes,” he said, adding that the syllabus could be reduced if the situation demands.
Sources said the government is contemplating to start physical classes in January. Though the government’s Covid guidelines allowed the higher education department to reopen institutions in the state after consultation with various stakeholders, the department is yet to announce a date.
Mishra said the department has already issued letters to vice-chancellors of state public universities and principals of degree colleges to conduct examinations after holding offline classes. “Odisha State Open University can conduct the exams without holding offline classes,” the higher education department secretary added.
The government letter, issued a few days ago, said the academic session has been badly affected due to prevailing Covid-19 pandemic. “Though online teaching is continuing, most of the students are unable to get the benefits of such online teaching due to various reasons. Therefore, at present, it is not desirable to hold exams based only on online teaching,” it stated.
It has been seen that many students have been facing difficulties in attending the online classes due to poor internet speed and lack of online infrastructure. Students in rural areas sometimes go to hilltops or climb trees to get internet connectivity.