Mangalore University will conduct its 39th annual convocation on its Mangalagangotri campus on April 10, according to its Vice-Chancellor P. S. Yadapadithaya.
“Only gold medal winners, first rank holders and those who will receive their Ph.D. certificates will be allowed to attend the convocation in person in view of the COVID-19 situation,” he told The Hindu.
The parents will not be allowed inside the Mangala auditorium where the convocation will be conducted from 11 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. The convocation proceedings will be streamed live on big screens outside the auditorium for parents to see, he said.
The chairperson of Infosys Foundation, Sudha Murthy, will deliver the convocation address in the virtual mode. The Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala will not attend the convocation. The Vice-Chancellor will conduct the convocation in his absence.
Odd semester PG examinations
The Vice-Chancellor said that the university will postpone its odd semester examinations scheduled from April 15 for its post graduate students for the academic year 2020-21. It is in view of COVID-19 cases being reported in its Mangalagangotri campus since March. The university’s hostel for women on the campus has been declared as the containment zone. So far 35 cases have been reported in the campus. The University Library and canteen will continue to remain shut till April 10. The offline classes for post-graduate students on the campus which were suspended from the fourth week of March will continue to remain so till April 10. However the online classes are being held.
Hence, Mr. Yadapadithaya said, the commencement of odd semester examinations will have to be postponed by at least a week.
“We will hold the convocation amid the COVID-19 situation because the students who have passed out in 2019-20 academic year should not be put in inconvenience,” the Vice-Chancellor said. The jurisdiction of the university covered Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kodagu districts.