Calcutta University on Saturday decided to give two-three hours to final-year undergraduate and postgraduate examinees to answer questions and another 30 minutes to upload the answers, as directed by the University Grants Commission (UGC).

The university had earlier said that students would get 24 hours to upload answers.

The university syndicate, which is its highest policy-making body, on Saturday decided to change the earlier decision of giving 24 hours to students to upload answers.

The UGC had recently said in a letter to the university that it was free to hold end semester/final-year open-book exams but the exams would have to be “timed for two or three hours”.

If an institution allowed more time, the evaluation will not be categorised as an exam, the UGC had told the university.

The Calcutta University syndicate decided that the final-year undergraduate and postgraduate examinations will be held in accordance with all instructions issued by the UGC.

“The final year BA and BSc exams and the BCom end-semester exams will be held following the exact instructions of the UGC. The university will go through the UGC instructions indetail before conducting the examinations,” a member of the syndicate told this newspaper after the meeting on Saturday.

According to the UGC instructions, exams can be of two-hour duration for some subjects and three-hour for some, a university official said.

Half an hour extra can be given to students to upload the answers in addition to the two or three hours allottedfor answering questions, the official said.

The UGC has given some “clear” instructions on what the university shall do if an exam is held for two hours or three hours.

The pro-vice chancellorof academic affairs has calleda meeting with principals of its colleges on Monday to discuss how to conduct the exams smoothly while following the UGC instructions.

The meeting will be held in two phases on the university’s Rajabazar science college campus, a university official said.

The postgraduate departments have been asked tohold meetings with subject teachers and to go through the UGC instructions forconducting the exams.

The undergraduate and postgraduate exams will start on October 1 and continuetill October 8.

The results will be declared within October 30.

The UGC letter had reached Calcutta University on September 16, two weeks after the university had announced that it would conduct open-book exams for final-year students and give them 24 hours to upload answers.

The faculty council for undergraduate and postgraduate studies met on Friday and resolved “to abide by the UGC directive”.

UG admissions

Calcutta University on Saturday extended the last date of completing the admission of students to its undergraduate colleges from September 25 to October 30.

The university took the decision after many colleges said a large number of seats had been lying vacant in various subjects for want of takers.

Repeated calls to university vice-chancellor Sonali Chakravarti Banerjee went unanswered.

Revamped

Sukumar Mukherjee, veteran doctor (centre) and Satyam Roychowdhury, the managing director of Techno India Group (right), at the opening of Techno Global Hospital Telegraph picture

Sukumar Mukherjee, veteran doctor (centre) and Satyam Roychowdhury, the managing director of Techno India Group (right), at the opening of Techno Global Hospital (Salt Lake). The Subodh Mitra Cancer Hospital and Research Centre has been acquired by the Techno India Group and is being “restructured into a multispecialty centre of medical excellence”, an official of the group said. The medical team is being mentored by Mukherjee. The first phase of the institute — a 40-bedded hospital with “urgent care” facilities — opened its doors on Thursday.