UGC asks Varsities to Allow Maternity Leave to UG, PG Women Students, Also Extend Duration for Researchers

University Grant Commission has asked Higher Education Institutions/Colleges to allow women students a maternity leave on the same line as granted for the M.Phil and Ph.D women students. Further, the commission has asked to extend maternity leave for M.Phil and Ph.D. students to 240 days.

By Rohit Sindhu, Updated : Dec 15, 2021 18:05 IST
UGC asks Varsities to Allow Maternity Leave to UG, PG Women Students, Also Extend Duration for Researchers
Photo Credit: Representational

The University Grant Commission (UGC) has asked the universities and colleges to provide like MPhil and Ph.D. students, UG and PG students will also get maternity leave. UGC has also issued guidelines for this. UGC Secretary Rajnish Jain has written a letter to all the universities that if a girl student is pregnant in UG and PG, then she will be given exemption in attendance, exam application form, and everything else.

"The higher education institutions are requested to frame appropriate rules/norms with regard to granting maternity leave to the women students enrolled in their respective institutions/ affiliated colleges and also provide all relaxations/ exemptions relating to attendance, extension in the date for submitting examination forms or any other facility deemed necessary for women students pursuing Under Graduate and Post Graduate programs," an official notice from UGC reads.

The age of marriage in India is 21 years for men and 18 years for women. So far, according to the University Grants Commission Regulation 2016, UGC used to give maternity leave only to the girl students of M.Phil and Ph.D. research courses. This maternity leave period will now be 240 days. After this decision, now this leave will also be available to the girl students of undergraduate and postgraduate courses studying in respective institutions/ colleges. 

In this letter, it has been clarified the students of MPhil and Ph.D. were given maternity leave, on the same lines, maternity leave will be given to the students of UG and PG. However, it has not been mentioned in the notice as to how long the leave period will be. For this, the UGC has left the decision of deciding the holiday at the discretion of the university.

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