New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Education is not going to declare the academic year 2020-21 a “zero academic year” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The ministry ruled out the possibility during a Parliamentary Standing Committee meeting on Human Resource Development on Monday, as per a report by The Indian Express. The report said that while replying inquiries from the MPs about classes, exams and university admissions, Secretary of Higher Education Amit Khare said that the new group of students would most likely be joining by November-December and classes and exams for the students at presently enrolled would also be conducted.
A zero academic year is one during which no academic activities are conducted, including classes and examinations.
The meeting was aimed at taking digital education initiatives and was attended by University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman DP Singh and Secretary of School Education Anita Karwal. The committee was headed by BJP Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, TIE report claimed.
The newspaper report stated that a survey was conducted on the CBSE affiliated schools, including Kendriya Vidyalayas and Navodaya Vidyalayas. The survey reportedly showed that 60 per cent of the students could access online education while 30 per cent had access to television and radio. Only 10 per cent students had no scope of digital access. These findings were shared during the meeting.
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