UGC Guidelines For Exams 2019-2020 Session

UGC issues new calendar for Universities for 2020-2021

The whole world, including India, is passing through unprecedented difficult times due to
the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. As all universities and colleges are closed due to
national lockdown, the teaching – learning process and research activities have been
badly disrupted. The schedule of Terminal Semester examinations has also got disturbed.
In such scenario, it is joint responsibility of all the stakeholders to manage multiple key
issues relating to academic activities in the institutions. While it is crucial to follow
measures taken by the Government to contain the spread of COVID-19, it is also
important to continue the educational process making effective use of technology and
other available options. Future may have many uncertainties but difficult times demand
quick appropriate decisions. We must be optimistic that we can reinvent work again and
engage the students in effective and constructive ways. The University Grants
Commission (UGC) has been engaged with this issue and contemplating measures to
face the challenge of safeguarding the interests of the academic fraternity in general and
students in particular. Confronted with vital issues of examinations and academic
calendar, UGC constituted an Expert Committee to deliberate on these issues and make
recommendations to address them.

The universities have completed the examinations of the odd semester during December2019/ January-2020 and the results have been declared. Most of the institutions had
already covered 60% to 70% of teaching-learning process for ongoing Even Semester
before the dispersal of classes in March, 2020. Further, the remaining part of the
curriculum has been attended/ being attended through online mode as the norms of
“social distancing” are to be followed by all educational institutions in the interest of the
students, faculty and the staff. In fact, the norms of social distance will be required to be
maintained by the educational institutions for quite some time, even if the normalcy
returns by the first week of May, 2020. Therefore, for the sake of safety of the students,
faculty and staff, all universities are required to reschedule the academic calendar 2019-
2020.