Jadavpur University will conduct the induction programme and classes for the first-year BTech students simultaneously to make up for the lost time in a session that was to begin in August, said an official of the university on Saturday.
This year online classes will start on October 25 and the induction on October 28.
The usual practice was to start first-year classes after the induction programme is held in each department for two weeks.
But since the JEE was held late this year because of the pandemic, classes could only start in late October.
“The induction programme and classes (both online) will be held at the same time to compensate for the delay,” said Bijan Sarkar, the dean of engineering and technology.
The university is also planning to curtail the summer vacation to make up for the delay.
Since students come from diverse backgrounds, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the apex body that regulates engineering education in the country, had in 2018 launched the induction programme for BTech students.
“The programme is held for three weeks before the start of regular classes,” said an official of the higher education department.
The central induction is held for a week, followed by the departmental one that spans two weeks.
“Engineering students are put through the induction to reinforce the fundamental concepts and strengthen language skills required for technical education. It is also intended to inculcate team spirit, competitiveness,” he said.
The dean said the central induction programme was held before the Puja.
“Instead of August, the classes are starting in late October. In order to make up for the delay, we will run the induction programme and conduct the classes, both over digital platforms as a precaution against Covid, at the same time. Or else, we won’t be able to complete the syllabus,” said the dean.
The decision to merge the two was taken keeping in mind the current situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, said a JU official.
The state joint entrance examination this year was held on July 17, following a delay triggered by the Covid.
Last year, the test was held in February before the onset of the pandemic.
“The first-semester exams are usually held in December. Whenever the first semester exams are held, we have to prepare the students by conducting a sufficient number of classes so they can write the test. The faculty council will later decide the exam schedule,” he said.
The 2021 summer vacation for the first-year engineering students at JU had to be reduced to seven days from the usual one-and-a-half months to make up for the lost time in the session that started as late as January 11.
Since 487 of the 1,253 BTech seats had remained vacant after the three-phased centralised counselling by the state JEE board, JU had to conduct counselling on its own to fill up the vacancies before starting the class early in January.
A JU official said since the vacancy problem was less severe than last year, they were starting the classes from October.
“Next year too we could cut down on summer vacation as the session has started late again,” he said.
