S. Vishnu Sharma
UCG Helpline, University Grants Commission has established a helpline number and issued an email id for redressal of grievances of students.
UGC Helpline and email id will be used to redress issues related to exams and academic activities that have arisen due to COVID-19 situation.
UGC Helpline 2020
Students, teachers and institutions can call this UGC Helpline at 011-23236374. Apart from UGC Helpline, there is an email id also to which queries, grievances can be sent to. The email is ‘covid19help.ugc@gmail.com’
Apart from setting up UGC Helpline, a task force has also been formed which will look into the grievances, queries received from students teachers and institutions and redress them accordingly.
All universities have been requested to make this fact known to their students through their websites, social media platforms about UGC Helpline and the email id so that students, teachers there can make use of it.
Prior to establishment of UGC Helpline, an academic calendar has also been brought out by it keeping in view the COVID-19 situation.
There is also a portal where students can register their grievances. The portal can be accessed at ‘https://www.ugc.ac.in/grievance/student_reg.aspx’
While students and teachers can call the UGC Helpline, in case it is found busy they can visit the above mentioned portal.
UGC has also requested all the universities to plan their academic activities keeping in view the safety of all the stakeholders. Highest priority must be given to health, says sources from UGC.
It is known that entire nation went into a lock down almost two months ago to prevent the outbreak of corona virus from causing further concerns.
Activities on the economic front came to a standstill, academic arena too did see the samething happening. With normalcy slowly showing signs of returning, things are looking forward to start again.
UGC has recently issued an academic calendar recently, now UGC Helpline has been established. All these show that things are coming back to normalcy.
Also read ‘JNU brings out its academic calendar‘
Queries have dominated the minds of students ever since, the nation went to a standstill. When will the exams be conducted?, When will the results be declared?, When will the new admissions begin? Must be questions running in the minds of the most of the students.
The establishment of UGC Helpline and the email id will perhaps give out the answers to questions put by students and teachers.
UGC also brought out a new academic calendar recently before the UGC Helpline was established. UGC committee suggested that admissions could begin from 1 August, academic sessions for students who are already in the university can start from 1 August. The same for fresh batches can begin from 1 September.
About higher education in India
From ancient Bharat to modern India, higher education has always occupied a place of prominence in Indian history.
In ancient times, Nalanda, Taxila and Vikramsila universities were renowned seats of higher learning, attracting students not only from all over the country but from far off countries like Korea, China, Burma (now Myanmar), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Tibet and Nepal. Today, India manages one of the largest higher education systems in the world.
The present system of higher education dates back to Mountstuart Elphinstone`s minutes of 1823, which stressed on the need for establishing schools for teaching English and the European sciences. Later, Lord Macaulay, in his minutes of 1835, advocated “efforts to make natives of the country thoroughly good English scholars”.
Sir Charles Wood`s Dispatch of 1854, famously known as the Magna Carta of English Education in India`, recommended creating a properly articulated scheme of education from the primary school to the university.
It sought to encourage indigenous education and planned the formulation of a coherent policy of education.
Subsequently, the universities of Calcutta, Bombay (now Mumbai) and Madras were set up in 1857, followed by the university of Allahabad in 1887.