THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Uncertainty prevails over the validity of nine distance learning courses of Calicut University to which hundreds of students have already taken admission for the 2023-24 academic year. The courses are also offered by the Sree Narayana Guru Open University (SNGOU) and the government’s tacit approval to other state universities to continue offering them this year may end up in legal tangles, it is pointed out.
Higher Education Minister R Bindu recently informed the assembly that other state universities can admit students to distance education courses not offered by SNGOU. However, the minister was silent on the nine courses of Calicut University that overlap with those offered by SNGOU this year. The SNGOU Act passed by the assembly prohibits other varsities from offering distance education courses once the Kollam-headquartered varsity becomes fully functional. Last year, though the state government initially disallowed other universities from offering distance education courses, it later amended the directive.
A circular was issued last November allowing varsities to offer UG and PG programmes in distance education mode, provided the courses were not in SNGOUs’ UGC-approved course list. This year, six PG courses and three UG courses notified by Calicut University are those for which SNGOU has already got UGC approval. When contacted, Bindu said the circular conditionally allowing other universities to offer distance education courses was not withdrawn and was still valid.
“As per the circular, courses not offered by SNGOU can be allowed,” she said. When the overlap was highlighted, Bindu said she will “examine the matter.” Experts in the higher education sector said students who have enrolled in the nine courses could land in trouble if the matter is challenged legally.
“Even the circular that the government cites only allows courses for which SNGOU has not got UGC approval. This can be a fit case for legal recourse,” said a senior academician. In June, the SNGOU vice-chancellor had written to his counterpart in Calicut University highlighting the overlapping of the nine programmes and urged him to stop admissions to such courses. However, there was no response to the communication. Despite pointing out that MG University’s ‘private registration’ for certain courses was against UGC norms, the practice continues this year as well.