The Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) has written to all universities, mandating them to hold convocation every year.

“Convocation ceremonies must be held regularly and degrees awarded annually as the event carries a huge significance for graduating students and is a moment of pride for their families,” a senior HRD Ministry official said.

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The Ministry’s advisory came after a few universities were found skipping the event due to financial and time constraints. However, they are supposed to organise the event every year, said the Ministry.

The Ministry has also asked all universities to send details of the last convocation held by them.

For instance, West Bengal’s Visva Bharati University held its convocation in May after five years.

The Central University of Tripura held its convocation after four years. The university had awarded degrees to all scholars from the last four years.

Forty-six years after its first and only convocation, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) held its second convocation this year.

Healthy lifestyle in the school curriculum

Earlier, Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the government will soon include various aspects of a healthy lifestyle in the school curriculum, which will help students adopt a healthy lifestyle,

While addressing a international laparoscopic and bariatric conference in Pune, Javadekar had pitched for a healthy lifestyle and said  that students need to know what all is to be done to lead a healthy lifestyle.