THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the full-fledged functioning of the newly launched Sree Narayana Guru Open University likely to be delayed, the government has permitted the University of Kerala to admit students for open and distance learning courses in the ongoing academic session.The University is all set to release the admission notification for undergraduate and post-graduate distance education programmes, with the government’s approval. TNIE had through a series of reports highlighted the uncertainty faced by students who were planning to enrol for distance education courses in the University of Kerala. Despite being the only varsity in the state that had received the UGC’s approval for offering such courses this year, a prohibitive clause in the Open University Ordinance was preventing it from admitting students.
According to Section 76 of the Open University Ordinance, a student who intends to pursue admission through distance education or through private registration shall not be given admission to such courses of study in any other university. The High Court had recently stayed this controversial section and a final decision on the matter is expected on October 30.
Recently, the varsity registrar had written to the Higher Education Department seeking permission to admit students, as the UGC-stipulated deadline of October 31 was fast approaching. The department, wary of the roadblocks the Open University would face, had given its nod.“Since the prohibitive clause has been stayed by the court, there is nothing that bars a university with UGC approval to go ahead and admit students. While the University of Kerala can do so in the current session itself, universities of Calicut and MG may do so for the upcoming January 2021 session,” a senior official of the Higher Education Department told TNIE.
According to the official, the government will issue a notification, under Clause 67 of the Ordinance, after consultation with the law department so as to defer admissions in Open University for the time being. Clause 67 lays down that “where any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of the Ordinance, the government may, by order published in the gazette, do anything, which it may consider necessary or deems fit, for the purpose of removing such difficulty.”
The latest development has come as a relief to nearly 11,000 students who enrol for distance education courses in the University of Kerala every year. With KU being the only varsity in the state that can admit students now, the number of admissions are likely to see a three-fold hike.