No decision on engineering passouts via correspondence mode: HRD minister Prakash Javadekar

By Express News Service  |   Published: 29th December 2017 08:38 PM  |  

 

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar (File | PTI)

NEW DELHI: The Centre has not yet taken a view on the validity of degrees of thousands of engineers who passed out through distance learning mode even as the apex court last month had declared degrees granted by four universities invalid.

The Supreme Court, in early November, while hearing a case on the validity of engineering programme offered via correspondence from four deemed universities had said that engineering degrees granted through correspondence secured from 2001 onwards were invalid.
The Universities included JRN Rajasthan Vidyapeeth, Institute of Advanced Studies in Education in Rajasthan, Allahabad Agricultural Institute and Vinayaka Mission's Research Foundation in Tamil Nadu.

The court, while asking students who took admission between 2001 and 2005 to revive their degree by undergoing a fresh examination by the All India Council for Technical Education, those who passed out after 2005 were offered no such option.

On being asked, whether the government has taken a view on the validity of those passed out from other institutes in the country, the Union Human Resources Development minister Prakash Javadekar today said the “matter is still under consideration.”

He was interacting with media persons on the achievements of his ministry in the year 2017.
Sources in the ministry said that over last few weeks, over 40 representations have come from different people who have asked the government to clarify its stance on the issue as thousands of people who have qualified as engineers since 2001 and are working in various organisations are now facing difficulty.

“In many cases, employers are putting question marks on their qualification and are threatening to remove them—so they are a harrowed lot,” a source in the ministry said.
The Supreme Court had cancelled the degrees on the grounds that the course offered by deemed universities via correspondence had not been approved by the AICTE.
It had also restrained all deemed universities across the country from continuing any distance learning courses from the 2018-19 without prior approval of the regulatory authorities.