Bengal government asks 31 universities to complete pending convocations within 2–3 months

PTI, September 29, 2026, Kolkata: The state government has directed all 31 state universities to complete their pending convocations within the next two to three months, Higher Education Minister Jagannath Chattopadhyay said on Monday, stressing that students should receive their degrees on time.

Chattopadhyay was speaking at the fifth convocation of West Bengal State University (WBSU), Barasat, held at the New Town Convention Centre.

The university held its convocation after nearly six-and-a-half years, awarding degrees to 198 PhD and 31 MPhil candidates.

The minister said the decision was taken after discussions with Governor-Chancellor R N Ravi.

“We have instructed that the convocations of all 31 universities in the state should be completed within the next two to three months,” he said.

He said timely admissions, completion of classes, examinations and award of degrees should be the basic functions of a higher education institution.

“There have been universities where convocations were not held for five, seven or even eight years. Students come to universities to study and should get their degrees on time,” Chattopadhyay said.

Ravi, who attended the convocation as Chancellor, also said: “We must hold the convocation every year.”

He stressed that universities must ensure students receive their degrees without delay and urged researchers to focus on developing useful technologies and intellectual property.

On student union elections, Chattopadhyay said the government’s immediate priority was to bring teachers back to colleges and students back to classrooms.

He said universities had been asked to put in place mechanisms to monitor teacher attendance, which the Higher Education Department would enforce after giving institutions some time.

Student union elections would be held once a sufficient number of students returned to classrooms, he said.

Union Minister of State for Education and Development of North Eastern Region Sukanta Majumdar, IIT Kharagpur Director Suman Chakraborty, state minister Kalyan Chakraborty, WBSU Vice-Chancellor Debabrata Mitra, MLAs, vice-chancellors of other universities, academicians, faculty members and graduating students were present.