7-day week for polytechnic, catering colleges till Dec

The initial months of the academic year were lost due to the lockdown, as most of the diploma students of government colleges did not have online classes. To address this academic loss, the Directorate of Technical Education (DoTE), which controls all polytechnic colleges in Tamil Nadu, including government institutions, said the institutions would function seven days a week. There would only be six declared holidays till December, it added.

A senior official from the directorate said the new schedule was applicable to all diploma courses, hotel management and catering technology course, and the part-time diploma courses offered by both government and private colleges.

The course for the full-time diploma in engineering would extend over a period of three academic years consisting of six semesters, he said. “The number of working days for students of the institutions offering diploma courses has been increased to six,” the official added.

Noting that part-time diploma courses in engineering would extend over a period of four academic years containing of eight semesters, the official said, “For part-time courses, the working days has been increased to seven, with institutions functioning on Sundays.”

With almost all government and private polytechnic colleges having completed the admission process for the new academic year, freshers who would join shortly would also have six to seven working days.

“Hall tickets for semester exams will be released by the directorate to all eligible candidates after December based on regulations,” the official said, adding that DoTE has also instructed all colleges to submit the data on attendance on a regular basis.