Online classes in degree colleges of Karnataka will start from 1 September and offline or regular classes will commence in October. Karnataka Deputy CM and Higher Education Minister Ashwath Narayan CN in a tweet said, “The academic year for degree colleges will commence from the 1st of September via online classes. Offline classes will begin in October.”
While talking to reporters, he said the department is awaiting guidelines from the Central government on conducting offline classes as well as the few degree exams to be conducted in September. Therefore, the government has decided to get the ball rolling on all academic activities online from next month.
Besides, all colleges will start in October and students are expected to attend classes in person, he added.
The state government has already made comprehensive preparations for starting offline classes following the guidelines set by the UGC. The state government will additionally follow the directions from the Central government as they come, he stressed.
Final Year Exams
Along with the commencement of the academic year, final year examinations will be scheduled for all the undergraduate, diploma and engineering students. Additionally, exams for those students who hold backlogs will also be conducted. These decisions have been taken in the sole interest of the students to ensure their bright future, he informed.
‘Don’t hinder NEET’
The state government has successfully conducted the CET for more than 1.94 lakh students. Besides, 63 Covid-19 positive students have also achieved good ranks by confidently taking the exam. “When the reality is so conducive, I do not understand why people are opposing the NEET from being conducted. I would like to advise all of them that they should not play with the future of the children. I suspect that there is something fishy about the issue,” Ashwathnarayan said.
“Maybe certain invisible groups want seats allocated through an opaque ‘system’ rather than based on merit. Some vested interests have been trying to disrupt the NEET examination since the beginning,” said the deputy CM adding that there is a huge ecosystem behind it with efforts going on for many years now. However, their objectives will remain unfulfilled.
AshwathNarayan emphasised that the NEET needs to be conducted as it is a well-structured exam which allows students to take admissions throughout the country with just one test.