Calicut University has sought the approval of the University Grants Commission (UGC) to run undergraduate and postgraduate courses under the distance education mode this academic year, as the newly launched Sree Narayana Guru Open University is yet to get recognition to do so. The procedure for admission, however, is expected to begin only by next month.
According to sources at the School of Distance Education at the university, this follows an unofficial direction from the State government. October 15 was the earlier deadline to file application with the UGC. In the meantime, the commission extended the date to October 31. Now, the university is expecting a clearance from the UGC, they said. There are 14 UG courses and 12 PG courses.
Though the government had gone ahead with its plans to stop all distance education programmes under the University of Kerala, Mahatma Gandhi University, Calicut University, and Kannur University and bring them all under the open university, the Kerala High Court intervened in the matter on a petition filed by parallel colleges and students. It was pointed out that the newly launched university was yet to get recognition from the UGC, and that the future of over a lakh students was at stake. Subsequently, the court asked the government to produce the approval under UGC regulations.
Parallel college owners and students had also pointed out that the government had barred other universities from running distance education programmes because it was not sure about students joining the open university. It was pointed out that though the project report of the university had mentioned that the functioning of the university was subject to UGC approval, it had been ignored.
