UGC DECLARES ANNAMALAI VARSITY’S DISTANCE EDUCATION PROGRAMMES INVALID
UGC WARNS STUDENTS AGAINST TAKING ADMISSION TO ANNAMALAI UNIVERSITY.
UGC DECLARES ANNAMALAI VARSITY’S DISTANCE EDUCATION PROGRAMMES INVALID.
NO FURTHER RECOGNITION HAS BEEN GIVEN IT TO OFFER ANY COURSE THROUGH OPEN DISTANCE LEARNING MODE.
“According to UGC, the varsity was only recognised to offer ODL programmes till academic year 2014-15 and “no futher recognition has been accorded to it to offer any programme through ODL mode.”
In running the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) programmes without permission, Annamalai University, Chennai has broken the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) rules. The varsity was only allowed to offer ODL courses during the academic year 2014-15, and no further recognition has been given to it to offer any course through ODL mode, according to the UGC.
NCERT, exemplar, and CBSE Previous year Solutions for Maths & Science View More NCERT, exemplar, and CBSE Previous year Solutions for Maths & Science Entrance Prep: Know The ten Tips for Making Smart Notes Read More 5 min read Mar 05, 2022 The varsity has informed students and other interested parties that the ODL programs offered are ineffective. The university is solely responsible for the academic outcomes of the students involved in the same, if any, UGC notification.
In the absence of the United Nations College of Arts (UGC) recognition of the courses, admissions to such courses could jeopardize the students’ careers, it read. Except where the commission has approved the ODL policies, no higher education institutions can offer open and distance learning activities, or online programs, and accept learners thereto.
The University Grants Commission has issued a public notice cautioning that Annamalai University is offering distance education programmes without its approval.
The notice dated March 25 has said the university has been admitting students under the open distance learning (ODL) programmes in “gross violation of all conditions laid down under the UGC Rules (Open and Distance Learning Regulations, 2017) and its amendments from time to time”, the latest being the regulations issued in 2020.
The UGC informed students, and other stakeholders, that the ODL programmes offered by the varsity are invalid. “The university is solely responsible for the career consequences of the students, if any, arising out of the same,” the UGC notification mentioned. UGC also advised students not to take admission in any programme offered by the varsity through ODL mode. “Take admissions in such programmes may jeopardise the career of the students, in view of the absence of the recognition of the programmes by the UGC,” it read.
According to the University website, as many as 200 programmes are offered under the distance education mode.
Annamalai University Vice-Chancellor R. M. Kathiresan said: “We have filed a writ petition in the Madras High Court [in this regard]. We have recently been accredited by NAAC and the results are expected to be out by this week. Once the results are out we are confident of getting the highest grade and there won’t be a hindrance for us to offer distance education programmes.”
According to him, around 40,000 students from within the State have joined the ODL programmes. “We are operating only on the verdict of the High Court.
I joined only three months ago but the University officials have given me to understand that we are permitted as per the writ petition. Unless the UGC gets that stay vacated, we are valid,” he contended.
The UGC has denied permission to institutions with less than 3.26 points NAAC score on a scale of 5 to run ODL programmes.
NAAC has given Annamalai University an A grade, which is 3.01 to 3.25 points. The UGC permits universities with 3.26 points to conduct online programmes. The VC said he had not received the notice yet from the UGC.
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