New Delhi: Classes in technical education institutions across the country will start from August, according to the revised calendar released Thursday by All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
Engineering, management, pharmacy and architecture colleges will start from 16 August for the existing students and from 16 September for the new batch.
Another major change that will happen this year due to the Covid pandemic is the reduction in the number of rounds of counselling for admission of new students, according to the AICTE’s calendar.
Every year engineering and other technical colleges would conduct six-seven rounds of counselling for admission, but this year, due to a delayed academic schedule in the wake of the pandemic, the AICTE has decided that only two rounds of counselling will take place.
The AICTE is the regulatory authority for technical colleges in India, covering all engineering, management, pharmacy and architecture colleges, except those that are directly under the central government like the IITs and IIMs.
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Classes for PG courses to start this month
In technical institutions, the classes usually begin in July for students in second, third, fourth and final years, and in August for the new batch.
Classes for students in stand-alone colleges that offer diploma and certificate programmes in management — Post Graduate Diploma in Management and Post Graduate Certificate in Management — will start from 15 July, earlier than the other courses.
Counselling for admission for the fresh batch this year will start in August. Every year, counselling begins by June and ends by early August, involving six-seven rounds.
This year, only two rounds of counselling will be done, which will close by 10 September.
In the absence of any guidelines from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, colleges have been asked to begin classes online and continue with it until the time any directions are issued on reopening of schools and colleges.
The University Grants Commission (UGC), which looks after non-technical education, had also released an academic calendar in early June, suggesting that classes may commence by August-September in colleges and universities.
However, looking at the rising number of Covid-19 cases in the country, the commission is now expected to issue a revised calendar.
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