Jadavpur University’s executive council on Saturday has decided that degree certificates of the graduating students would be uploaded on the university's website because convocation could not be held amid the pandemic.
The convocation was scrapped last year, too, because of Covid.
However, the students who graduated this year expected that the ceremony would be held on December 24 — the usual date — on the campus following the resumption of in-person classes from the middle of November.
But as “Covid cases are still being reported and a new variant of the coronavirus has emerged”, the university has decided against holding the convocation to avoid large gatherings, JU pro-vice-chancellor Samantak Das said.
“Students can download the degree certificates from the Jadavpur University management system (JUMS) from December 24,” he said.
The university will also ask the degree recipients to collect their certificates from the respective departments.
Each department will have specific dates for distribution of the certificates.
Those who will fail to collect their certificates will have them despatched to their mailing addresses within India.
The convocation is usually held at the open-air theatre.
Recently, two departments at JU had to suspend in-person classes at the undergraduate level after a student and teacher tested positive for Covid.
Classes are being held in a blended mode — a combination of offline and online classes — to maintain the physical distancing norm.
More than 4,500 students (undergraduate, postgraduate, MPhil and PhD) graduate each year.
“It will be difficult to maintain the physical distancing norm and other safety protocol if such a huge number of students are invited to attend the convocation. So we have decided to do away with the ceremony this year. Any large scale assembly on the campus has to be avoided,” said a JU official.
“We have consulted the state government. They, too, don’t want us to hold the event on the campus because of the health risk,” said a member of the executive council, the university’s highest decision-making body.
JU had last held its convocation on campus in 2019.