JNU revises academic calendar, allows students to return to campus in June

Releasing a revised academic calendar, Jawaharlal Nehru University on Saturday said its students may return to campus in the last week of June to finish end-of-semester

Releasing a revised academic calendar, Jawaharlal Nehru University on Saturday said its students may return to campus in the last week of June to finish end-of-semester academic work. The varsity, however, added that the schedule was subject to change as per Covid-19 developments and related guidance from government and University Grants Commission (UGC).

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“Tentatively, students are expected to return to JNU campus between June 25 and June 30 so that they can complete their remaining academic components and complete their examinations. Examinations will be completed by July 31. The next semester for the continuing students will start from August 1,” said vice-chancellor (V-C) M Jagadesh Kumar. The deadline for submission of thesis and dissertation for research scholars has also been extended to December 31.

In April, the university had allowed all its schools and special centres to hold midterm and semester examination via the mode of their choice. Of the 13 schools, five decided to go for the online mode. The rest will hold offline exams after the lockdown.

On Saturday, Kumar said if the examination results were not ready by July 31, students could opt to register provisionally and begin the next semester. The registration process for the next semester will be carried out online, he said.

On the modalities of accommodating students on campus, Kumar told HT, “Our Covid-19 task force is working on this keeping in view the government guidelines and the UGC guidelines. We are focussed on the fact that when the students return to the university, their safety and health conditions are taken care of. We need to work out some innovative ways to make sure that they continue to study while following COVID-19 guidelines.”

JNU students’ union president Aishe Ghosh, however, questioned the feasibility of conducting exams, especially for those students who did not have access to internet. “So many research scholars who left the Capital don’t even have the money to come back. Many don’t have access to internet. Without any class, students who didn’t have internet till June 25, how will they give exams without preparation? Through this mode, the onus of the results will be put on students. Nobody will notice that there was no learning in the past four months.”