Tamil Nadu universities get time till 2020 to qualify for distance learning courses

COIMBATORE : After the University Grants Commission’s rule mandating higher education institutions to have a NAAC score of 3.26 to offer open and distance learning (ODL) courses received severe opposition, the apex regulatory body has extended the time to acquire such a score till June 2020. After the UGC made a NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) score of 3.26 mandatory for such programmes, several institutions, including many State universities, that had been offering the courses became ineligible. So, many State universities in Tamil Nadu, including Bharathiar University in Coimbatore, approached the court to get a stay on the regulation.

Hence, the UGC has amended the regulation and given time till June 2020 for institutions to achieve the score. Institutions that have completed five years of existence, if they submit an undertaking to the effect that they will attain the score before the end of the academic session July 2019-June 2020, can go on to offer the programmes.

If they fail to achieve the score, UGC shall not accord any approval to their ODL programmes, the third amendment of the regulation by UGC read. With this third amendment, the UGC has also invited online applications (between October 18 and November 5) from all eligible for offering ODL programmes for the academic session 2018-19 and onwards, UGC secretary Rajnish Jain said in a public notice.Only 53 universities across the nation, including three from Tamil Nadu — University of Madras, Anna University and Tamil Nadu Open University –have been permitted to offer ODL courses.