Teachers at Calcutta University have written to the dean of engineering, demanding that third-year BTech students’ exams be completed by the second week of May so that they can “spend 6-8 weeks” in the industry before starting final-year sessions.

The letter, submitted to interim dean Debasish Das, states that internship is an important part of the BTech program and that the All India Council of Technical Education has approved it.

Calls and texts to Das went unanswered repeatedly. Because of the pandemic-related campus closures, third-year students have been doing internships online for the past two years. Following the reopening of the campuses, teachers reported that students were eager to participate in internships off-campus.

As a result, they have written to the dean, requesting that the exams for third-year students be completed by the second week of May.