Universities allowed to hold regular onsite or online exams

All public and private universities are allowed to take regular onsite or online examinations on condition of vaccinating all examinees under the vaccination campaign, shortly.

But the universities would have to take exams and conduct evaluations, following the advice of academic councils. At the same time, universities would also soon have to vaccinate all students on a priority basis.

The decisions were taken in a virtual meeting on Monday, presided over by Education Minister Dipu Moni, between the Education Ministry, the University Grants Commission (UGC), and university VCs.

The vaccination drive will be launched at student residential halls to secure their safety and academic life, taking practical conditions into consideration, the meeting decided.

University academic councils will hold the examinations and evaluations after implementing guidelines already issued by the UGC for holding regular onsite and online examinations.

All dormitories will reopen and regular classes will resume once all students have been vaccinated.

Secondary and higher education division secretary, Mahbub Hossain, Deputy Minister for the Education Ministry, Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury, and UGC Chairman, Prof Dr Kazi Shahidullah, were also present at the meeting, among others.

On 15 May, the government extended the ongoing closure of educational institutions until 29 May, due to the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic. The government scrapped its previous decision to reopen universities on May 24, following recommendations of the National Technical Advisory Committee on Covid-19.

In the face of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, the education ministry announced closure of all educational institutions and coaching centres on 16 March last year.

All educational institutes have been shut for the last 15 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, inflicting severe harm on the academic life of students although an online curriculum and instruction have continued in a limited manner.