OU exams put off, fresh semester from Jan 22

HYDERABAD: The Osmania University has postponed PG examinations indefinitely owing to the tension on campus and will now start the next semester
classes from January 22.

Speaking at a media conference, vice-chancellor T Tirupati Rao, however, said the semester examinations of engineering, pharmacy and hotel management students will be held as per schedule from January 22. The next semester classes for these students will begin soon after the completion of examinations.
Rao said that the university authorities, after consulting deans of various departments, had decided to postpone the examinations to the end of the next semester.

Classes for the next semester will begin on January 22 so that students will not lose an academic year. “The academic year will lapse if classes do not begin soon. We will conduct the examinations only when peace returns on the campus,” VC said.

This is fifth time that the university has postponed its examinations due to various reasons, including GHMC elections and ‘T’ tension. As per the academic calendar, the exams were to begin in the last week of November. And classes for the II (for PG first year) and IV semester (for PG final year students) were to begin in December.

“We are hoping that if we cancel all holidays, including summer vacation, we will be able to save the academic year. The classes will begin on January 22 and will go on till May,” the VC said. He added that the postponed examinations might be held a month after the commencement of classes. “Even if disturbance continues on the campus, we will conduct the examinations of all the semesters in May to save the academic year,” Rao said.

Meanwhile, officials of AP State Council of Higher Education also said that in other universities of the ‘T’ belt students and staff may have to forego their vacations to make up for the lost time. There are a total of eight universities which will have to do without vacations this year if they have to complete their academic year. Officials of Kakatiya University and Satavahana University are also contemplating cancellation of examinations, officials said.

Responding to queries about the lathicharge on university campus, the vice- chancellor said that he had not called the police to the campus. “They need no permission from me to do their work,” he said.