New Delhi: Ruling out the possibility of declaring 2020-21 as a ‘zero academic year’ due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the Education Ministry, during a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resource Development, said classes and exams will be held.
Responding to queries from MPs about university admissions, exams and classes, Higher Education Secretary Amit Khare has reportedly informed that first-year students are likely to join in November-December and that there will be facilities to conduct examinations and classes for those currently enrolled.
In a zero year, there are no academic activities, including lessons or exams.
One of the MPs, who attended the Rajya Sabha standing committee meeting, was quoted as saying that Khare told the MPs, ‘Students will get their classes online and offline, and all logistical support will be provided to ensure that exams happen. We are not going to treat the current academic session as a year-long holiday.’
The standing committee, which has 31 MPs from Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, met to discuss the preparedness of school, higher and technical education sectors during the Covid-19 pandemic. Over a dozen MPs attended the meeting on Monday.