IIT-B scraps convocation, to hold Commencement Ceremony instead
IIT Bombay will introduce a Commencement Ceremony on May 2, allowing all 2,500 graduating students to attend before they leave campus to pursue higher education or employment. The ceremony will not award any degrees, with most students graduating by August 2023.
Mumbai: In a departure from tradition, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay this year is set to introduce Commencement Ceremony – a new form of convocation — to facilitate the right of passage of prospective graduates. The ceremony will be held on May 2.
This move comes as many students, in previous years, were unable to attend the convocation, which was held in August, as by then they used to move out of the campus either to pursue higher education or employment opportunities.
During the Commencement Ceremony, which will be held in the afternoon, all the 2,500 graduating students will be invited for a photo opportunity with the director of IIT-B on the dais. Parents and relatives will also be able to witness their wards participate in the ceremony.
However, the Commencement Ceremony does not involve awarding of any degree certificates as the students are yet to complete their academic requirements.
Barring some students, who take longer to complete the requisite course credits, most will graduate by August 2023. Degrees will be awarded in August in the respective academic departments, after the verification of graduation requirements.
“To facilitate the right of passage of prospective graduates, the senate of IIT Bombay approved a new form of celebration called the ‘Commencement Ceremony’ by replacing the existing notion of convocation,” stated a release by the institute.
“The parents of the graduating students also missed the opportunity to see their ward graduates in person due to space constraints in accommodating them in the Convocation Hall,” stated a press release.
