Solace for MGU’s off-campus students

Another chance to pursue their courses at select centres

About 9,000 students in the closed down off-campus centres of Mahatma Gandhi University have something to cheer about.

The varsity is ready to offer them another chance to pursue their courses by enrolling for the classes being conducted by it at select centres. The 9,000-odd students had not registered online when the university authorities had first opened the window for registration.

Only 1,050 students had then registered online to attend the classes and collect study materials provided by the varsity. The decision to make its own arrangements for registered students to complete their courses came after Governor P. Sathasivam, who is the Chancellor, had turned down the government request to give conditional clearance for the closed down off-campus centres to conduct the classes for their second and third year students.

The Hindu has now learnt that a special Syndicate meet to be held on November 13 will approve the proposal. Senior officials close to the development said that the co-ordinators of the off-campus centres approved by the varsity could arrange classes even in centres outside the university’s jurisdiction. This is to help the students in such centres, who need not come all the way to centres offering the classes within the varsity’s territorial jurisdiction, they said.

The varsity will not permit the managements of the closed down off-campus centres to collect the fee from students attending the classes. Instead, it will collect the money and hand it over to the co-ordinators for conducting the classes spread over 300 hours.

The varsity had also informed the Chancellor that it will avail the services of Postal Department, State Bank of Travancore, C-Dit, ViCTOR Channel, IT@School project, KSFDC etc to help students of closed down off-campus centres complete their course.