THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In first, a state university is all set to implement the recent UGC guidelines allowing a student to pursue two academic programmes simultaneously. Starting from the current academic year, the Sree Narayana Guru Open University (SNGOU) will start offering its 23 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode also to students who are enrolled in similar programmes at other universities.
According to SNGOU vice chancellor P M Mubarak Pasha, the syndicate of the university had recently given the green signal for enrolling students pursuing academic programmes in other universities. “Besides UG and PG programmes, the university will also offer various skill development certificate and diploma courses in the current academic year itself,” he added.
The Kollam-headquartered university had recently received the UGC’s approval for nine more courses taking the overall number of UG and PG programmes to 23. As per the SNGOU Act, other state universities will not be able to offer programmes in distance learning mode for which SNGOU has obtained UGC approval. The admission process of SNGOU, which begins on July 1, will be on till August 31.
The UGC decision to allow a student to pursue two courses at the same time, with certain conditions, was on the basis of the National Education Policy that emphasises the need to facilitate multiple pathways to learning, involving formal and informal education modes.
However, the above guidelines shall be applicable only to the students pursuing academic programmes other than PhD.
Notably, the UGC has also clearly stated that no retrospective benefit can be claimed by students who have already done two academic programmes simultaneously prior to the notification of its guidelines in 2022.
It had asked universities to devise mechanisms to allow students to pursue two academic programmes simultaneously. Due to the practical difficulties and huge workload involved in pursuing two full-time regular degree courses simultaneously without overlapping class timings, most of the students are likely to enroll on an ODL course in addition to a regular course.
Meanwhile, IGNOU, which also offers ODL courses nationwide said it does not seek specific details from students during admission about whether they are currently enrolled in any other regular or ODL
academic progamme other than those offered by it.