Higher education institutions across Gujarat will have 21-day Diwali vacations

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Education Minister Jitu Vaghani announced 21-day vacations for higher education institutions this Diwali.
“An announcement is being made in response to several representations made by higher education associations that since Diwali is the biggest Hindu festival, the vacation should be 21 days instead of 13 days,” the minister tweeted in Gujarati.
After the announcement, the Diwali vacations from November 1 to 13 as per the common academic calendar, has been extended till November 21. This applies to all state universities and their affiliated colleges except medical and pharmacy courses.
Soon after the announcement, the education department issued a Government Resolution, too. “Keeping in mind, the representations of several associations of higher education, the following changes are being made in the common academic calendar,” it stated.
As per the revised common academic calendar 2021-22, summer vacations of six weeks are from April 1, 2022 to June 14, 2022. The academic calendar for higher education institutes had 13 days Diwali vacations for the past two years.
On September 24, Gujarat Rajya Adhyapak Mahamandal had submitted a representation to the Education Minister requesting for 21-day Diwali vacations.
“In 2020, due to prevailing Covid-19 pandemic conditions, the association accepted two-week Diwali vacations… Now since the corona cases are very few and colleges have started offline education as per Covid guidelines, it is not suitable to reduce the Diwali vacations… So, we request you to resume the 21-day Diwali vacations,” the
representation stated.
Gujarat Rajya Adhyapak Mahamandal secretary Rajendra Jadhav said, “As teachers do not get the benefit of EL (earned leave), we have been wanting longer Diwali vacations, which had been reduced… Keeping that in mind, we have submitted the representation to the state government.”
As per University Grants Commission (UGC), a college can have 10 weeks of vacations and 30 weeks of teaching and learning process, another 10 weeks for admissions, examinations and preparations, and two weeks of public holidays.