Reckoned to be among the most respected universities in the country for its academic excellence, and one of the oldest too, the University of Mysore may soon offer undergraduate, postgraduate, diploma and post-graduate diploma courses through correspondence.
The university, which discontinued correspondence courses offered under the distance education mode after the Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) was established in Mysore, has received the green signal from its Syndicate and Academic Council to establish the Directorate of Correspondence Courses and Continuing Education (DCCCE) and offer courses from the next academic year (2012-13) to meet the increasing demand for higher education.
Already, conventional universities in the State such as Kuvempu University, Karnatak University and Bangalore University were running courses through correspondence.
This is for the second time that the University of Mysore is making a bid to reintroduce the correspondence courses. Its earlier attempt in 2005 went in vain.
During its meeting in Mysore recently, the Academic Council, the highest decision-making body of the university in academic matters, approved the revised statutes for establishment of the Directorate. The statutes had been revised based on the suggestions from the Syndicate and the Finance Committee of the university.
The university has to secure the assent of Governor H.R. Bhardwaj, who is the Chancellor of universities in the State.
Expertise
“The University of Mysore has rich expertise for imparting education through regular courses and through correspondence as it had run the Institution of Correspondence Course and Continuing Education since 1974 until the formation of KSOU,” according to the university.
Importantly, the university is one of the first in the country to introduce correspondence courses through the Institute of Correspondence and Continuing Education, which was bifurcated and renamed Karnataka State Open University (KSOU). Incidentally, KSOU functions on the same campus — Manasagangotri.
The university faced opposition to its earlier move to reintroduce the correspondence courses due to the presence of the open university. But it defended its move to relaunch the courses through correspondence for the reason that a huge mass of people in the country was in need of higher education.
What the KSU Act says
Under the Karnataka State Universities (KSU) Act, 2000, all the universities incorporated under the State Act are authorised to provide instruction, including courses, through correspondence. Accordingly, the university had prepared draft statutes for establishment of a directorate of distance education. These statutes had been framed by the Syndicate and the regulations were approved by the Academic Council in 2005.
Nevertheless, when the university was preparing to implement the statutes in anticipation of approval from the Chancellor, it a received a letter (dated July 21, 2005) from the Chancellor with directions to desist from reintroducing the distance education system, mainly on the ground that an open university at the State level for offering courses under the distance education mode had already been established.
Another letter (dated August 17, 2005) was received by the University from the Chancellor to the effect that no admission to any of the courses coming under the open university system shall be made by any of the conventional universities until further orders.
It would appear that such directions had been issued by the Chancellor on the basis that Section 31 of the KSU Act does not specifically provide for powers of the Academic Council to frame regulations for conducting correspondence courses or distance education courses and therefore no such regulations can be made under Section 44 (1) of the KSU Act.
However, Section 4 (i) of the KSU Act empowers the university to provide instruction (including by correspondence mode), teaching and training in such branches of learning and course of study as it may think fit and make provisions for disseminating knowledge and research, the draft statutes prepared by the university for establishment of the Directorate said.
Also, Section 31 (2) (ii) empowers the Academic Council to make regulations regarding the courses of study and Section 31 (2) (xiii) empowers the Academic Council to provide instruction, teaching and training in such branches of learning and courses as may be appropriate for research and for the advancement dissemination of learning.
Regulations
Consequently, it is open to the Academic Council to frame the necessary regulations to provide for instructions for correspondence course or for any course of study as it may think fit and make provisions for dissemination of knowledge and research.
Further, the Academic Council can by regulation provide for courses of study, including correspondence courses, under Section 44 of the Act.
In spite of directions from the Chancellor prohibiting any of the conventional universities in the State from admitting students to courses coming under open distance learning (ODL), Bangalore University, Karnatak University and Kuvempu University are conducting correspondence courses.
Therefore, the University of Mysore decided to pursue its original decision to constitute the Directorate of Correspondence Courses. Accordingly, the statutes framed earlier were reviewed. The Statutes Review Committee with P. Ishwara Bhat as its chairman had framed the draft statutes for the establishment of the Directorate of Correspondence Courses to conduct degree, diploma and postgraduate courses. The draft statutes were revised, and the revised statutes had been approved.
The statutes to establish the Directorate had been framed under Section 4 (1) of the KSU Act. They shall come into effect from the date the Chancellor gives his assent. The statutes and the regulations governing the courses require approval from the Department of Higher Education, for securing the Governor's nod.
In view of an argument that distance education and correspondence course were different, the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Distance Education Council (DEC) have given their nod to the conventional universities for running courses through correspondence, a note from the university said.
A self-financing unit
The Directorate of Correspondence Courses and Continuing Education will function as a self-financing unit, offering degree, post-graduate, diploma and post-graduate diploma courses to meet the burgeoning demand for dissemination of knowledge, according to the university.
Governing council
A governing council for the guidance and monitoring of the directorate will be constituted for proper planning and integrated development of its [directorate] activities.
The vice-chancellor will be the chairman of the council and the director of the directorate will be the ex-officio member secretary.
Role of Registrar
Initially, the Registrar of the university will act as the director of the correspondence course and distance education, until a regular director is appointed by the vice-chancellor with the approval of the Syndicate.
The correspondence course will be governed by the regulations and statutes of the university framed as per the guidelines of Distance Education Council (DEC) and such other statutory bodies in the matter of courses, examinations and award of degrees and certificates.
