BDU running distance courses sans UGC nod for five years
TNN | Feb 11, 2020, 04.38 AM IST
Trichy: Bharathidasan University (BDU) has been running distance education programmes for the last five years without the mandatory approval of the distance education bureau (DEB) of University Grants Commission. It has come to light that the university was unsuccessful in its attempts to secure the DEB nod, but chose to offer the programmes without it.
The university became eligible to offer programmes through distance mode after being accredited with A+ grade in April last year in the third cycle of national accreditation and assessment council (NAAC). It is also likely to secure DEB approval for offering such programmes in future. However, questions are now being raised about the validity of certificates issued over the last five years by the university without getting due approval. Roughly 50,000 students have graduated in various distance education programmes with degree certificates.
Asked if institutions can offer distance education programmes without getting approval from DEB, New Delhi, its joint secretary, Avichal Kapur, told TOI over phone that only category – 1 institutions can do so and BDU doesn’t come under it. This has put the candidates who secured distance education degrees from the university in trouble. “We have been trying to get everything under the legal framework and NAAC score will enable us to get approval for the course,” said A Ilangovan, director in-charge of the centre for distance education, BDU. He said they have approached the ministry of human resource development seeking retrospective approval for the programmes apart from writing to DEB. “We only wish that the university gets DEB approval retrospectively for courses offered over the last five years. But we are sceptical if DEB will do so as the university was disqualified for not being eligible to run these courses,” said K Pandiyan, former president, Association of University Teachers (AUT).
Another senior faculty member said DEB had asked to suspend some of the programmes offered by many universities. “BDU too has suspended those courses from this year as seen in its admission notification released recently,” asked the faculty member. Questions are also being raised about the university not mentioning the status of DEB approval in the admission notification issued on January 26. “The university managed to sweep under the carpet the status of its approval from DEB. If the university is sure about getting DEB approval in the next few weeks, what prevented it from mentioning the same in the admission notification,” said another faculty member.
TNN | Feb 11, 2020, 04.38 AM IST
Trichy: Bharathidasan University (BDU) has been running distance education programmes for the last five years without the mandatory approval of the distance education bureau (DEB) of University Grants Commission. It has come to light that the university was unsuccessful in its attempts to secure the DEB nod, but chose to offer the programmes without it.
The university became eligible to offer programmes through distance mode after being accredited with A+ grade in April last year in the third cycle of national accreditation and assessment council (NAAC). It is also likely to secure DEB approval for offering such programmes in future. However, questions are now being raised about the validity of certificates issued over the last five years by the university without getting due approval. Roughly 50,000 students have graduated in various distance education programmes with degree certificates.
Asked if institutions can offer distance education programmes without getting approval from DEB, New Delhi, its joint secretary, Avichal Kapur, told TOI over phone that only category – 1 institutions can do so and BDU doesn’t come under it. This has put the candidates who secured distance education degrees from the university in trouble. “We have been trying to get everything under the legal framework and NAAC score will enable us to get approval for the course,” said A Ilangovan, director in-charge of the centre for distance education, BDU. He said they have approached the ministry of human resource development seeking retrospective approval for the programmes apart from writing to DEB. “We only wish that the university gets DEB approval retrospectively for courses offered over the last five years. But we are sceptical if DEB will do so as the university was disqualified for not being eligible to run these courses,” said K Pandiyan, former president, Association of University Teachers (AUT).
Another senior faculty member said DEB had asked to suspend some of the programmes offered by many universities. “BDU too has suspended those courses from this year as seen in its admission notification released recently,” asked the faculty member. Questions are also being raised about the university not mentioning the status of DEB approval in the admission notification issued on January 26. “The university managed to sweep under the carpet the status of its approval from DEB. If the university is sure about getting DEB approval in the next few weeks, what prevented it from mentioning the same in the admission notification,” said another faculty member.
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