CHENNAI: The University of Madras has decided to introduce lateral entry system from this year for its Institute of Distance Education students, said a senior official of the varsity. If the initiative is a success in distance education programmes, then authorities will also contemplate to implement it for its regular courses. For the benefit of students, who enrolled in the distance education programs and were not able to complete their course, the university is soon going to launch a novel initiative of awarding them certificates on basis of the duration of course completed by them.
The move termed as ‘conversion of degrees’ gives an opportunity to the student who had enrolled in a two-year postgraduate course and manages to finish only the first year, to get a certificate of postgraduate diploma. Similarly, students can also get an undergraduate diploma certificate if they enrolled in undergraduate courses and did not finish the same.
According to vice chancellor P Duraisamy, only the students who opted for conversion of their degrees, are eligible to avail lateral entry facility. The students will be permitted to finish their chosen course under the lateral entry system within a period of five years from conversion of their degrees. As per the norms, after completion of the course, the students will surrender their diploma certificates and given new certificates. However, the lateral entry students will not be given any classification like first or second class in their degrees after completion of the course.
“Things will become tricky if we give classification in the certificates of lateral entry students. For a student who left the course five years ago midway and then enrolled in lateral entry system and finished the course, his/her certificate cannot be treated equivalent with the general students of IDE. Hence, it has been decided not to award them any classification,” said a senior faculty.
When asked, if without classification, would the certificates be of any use to the lateral entry students, the vice chancellor replied, “It has been noticed that a major chunk of students who leave the course midway do that as they get jobs. Such students will join the lateral entry system and just need a certificate for their career growth. For them, classification of degree holds little meaning,” said Duraisamy.
Varsity sets 5-year limit
The students will be permitted to finish their chosen course under the lateral entry system within a period of five years from conversion of their degrees. As per the norms, after completion of the course, the students will surrender their diploma certificates before being given new certificates
Only students who opt for conversion eligible
Earlier, the university had launched a novel initiative called ‘conversion of degrees’ which gives an opportunity to a student who had enrolled in a degree course and manages to finish only half the course, to get a certificate of diploma. According to vice chancellor P Duraisamy, only the students who opt for conversion of their degrees, are eligible to avail lateral entry facility