Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said that the new academic session is likely to get delayed following the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and lockdown.
He said that the examination for the final semester will be held after universities and colleges reopen.
Pokhriyal also said that the JEE-MAIN will be conducted in June only after reviewing the COVID-19 crisis situation in the country.
“The new academic session will start only after first-year students are admitted to both UG and PG programmes. A committee has been set up to look into the issues related to examinations and the academic calendar, which is likely to submit its report soon. The safety of students and teachers is our priority,” Pokhriyal said, as quoted by The Indian Express.
The HRD Minister told The Indian Express that the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will assess the loss of instructional time for a proportionate reduction in curriculum load for Board Exams 2021.
It may be mentioned, the session usually starts in the month of March and the syllabus ends in December. However, due to COVId-19 lockdown, the schools were closed on March 16th, 2020.
Pokhriyal said that his Ministry has spoken to the directors of all the Indian Institute of Technology to ensure that campus placements are not affected due to the COVID-19 lockdown situation. A task force has been set up in the HRD Ministry to look into placement and internship issues, he said.
Photo credit: /cmnishank/
