Bhubaneswar: Higher Education Minister Arun Kumar Sahoo Friday held a meeting with the new vice chancellors of six universities of the state.
Newly appointed vice chancellors Sabita Acharya of Utkal University, Aparajita Chowdhury of Ramadevi Women University, N. Nagaraju of Gangadhar Meher University, Dinabandhu Sahoo of Fakir Mohan University, Prafulla Kumar Mohanty of Khallikote University and Kishore Kumar Basa of North Odisha University were present in the meeting.
Sahoo directed the vice chancellors to complete the admission process in the universities, complete the syllabus and conduct semester exams on time once the higher education institutions reopen in January 2021.
Sahoo also directed the new VCs to implement the 5T action plan of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in the universities ‘to achieve progress through Transparency, Teamwork, Technology, Time and Transformation’.
With chances of a second wave of COVID-19 looking increasingly unlikely, the Higher Education department had earlier said that it was mulling to reopen all educational institutions across the state from January 1, 2021.
A final decision in this regard, however, would be taken by the CM Patnaik after reviewing all the related aspects, including the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the state, said Commissioner-cum Secretary of Odisha Higher Education department Saswat Mishra, Thursday.
The Higher Education department December 7 issued a notification stating that UG and PG examinations will be held after resumption of classroom teaching and completion of syllabus.
In a letter to vice-chancellors of the state-run universities and principles of all government and non-government colleges, Saswat Mishra had said that the academic session has been badly affected due to the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic-related dislocations.
Despite the online classes, most of the students are unable to get its benefits due to various reasons, the notification read.
PNN