The Tamil Nadu government has set the new academic session in state colleges to August 3, 2020. Students are required to attend the online classes mandatorily for a stipulated time as directed by the state higher education department. Previously, the TN government had decided to promote the students based on intermediate semester. Additionally, marking will be done by allotting 70 percent weightage to internal exams and 30 percent to the previously held exams.
Following a meeting with the vice chancellors of the different state universities regarding the commencement of new sessions and slashing the syllabus, the government has announced virtual reopening of colleges. The meeting was chaired by K P Anbalagan, State Higher Education Minister. Marks of the students who have been promoted without exams will published within the next three weeks.
The higher education department has mandated 450 hours of academic session to be held virtually.
In the state, however, COVID-19 lockdown has been extended till August 31 following a meeting among Chief Minister K Palaniswami, government-appointed medical panel and district collectors.
Tamil Nadu had earlier asked schools to not make the online classes ‘compulsory’ to students keeping in consideration shortage of resources and digital divide which could further build stress levels among students. The state has also dissolved separate learning groups on the virtual platform and directed school authorities to teach students with special needs at par with their peers.
