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U.P. govt’s academic calendar draws ire; teachers’ body call it an attack on varsities’ autonomy
Under the government order, higher educational institutions are required to complete odd semester practical exams by December 4.
Lucknow: In a move aimed at standardising academic sessions across state universities, the U.P. government has issued a directive outlining an academic calendar. However, this has sparked intense debate, with teachers’ associations denouncing it as an attack on the autonomy of higher education institutions.
The special secretary of the U.P. government, Girijesh Kumar Tyagi, issued the academic calendar, instructing the Directorate of Higher Education U.P. to ensure timely declarations of exams, results, and vacations in alignment with the set timeframe.
Critics argue that this intervention represents a direct assault on the autonomy of universities. Manoj Pandey, president of the Lucknow University Associated College Teachers Association (LUACTA), said, “This state-imposed academic calendar is an affront to university autonomy.” RB Singh, Secretary of the Lucknow University Teachers Association (LUTA), emphasized the impracticality of implementing the government’s calendar, with vice-chancellors of state universities expressing reluctance to comply.
Under the government order, higher educational institutions are required to complete odd semester practical exams by December 4, conduct semester exams from December 5 to 20, observe winter vacation between December 25 and January 5, 2024, with results to be declared by December 30.
Similarly, for even semesters, practical exams for the second, fourth, and sixth semesters must conclude by May 14, semester exams conducted between May 15 and 30, and results declared by June 15, followed by a summer vacation between June 1 and 30.
In cases where an annual examination system is in place, the last date for practical exam completion is May 14, exams are to be held between May 15 and 30, and results declared by June 15.
Girijesh Kumar Tyagi, the special secretary of the U.P. government, underlined in a letter to the Director of Higher Education the importance of state universities strictly adhering to this timeframe, asserting it is in the larger interest of students pursuing higher education in the state.
