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Despite UGC censure, authorities at KSOU remained nonchalant

Last Updated 20 June 2015, 19:34 IST

The nonchalant attitude of the authorities at the KSOU in the last three years to the issues raised is what compelled the UGC to discontinue recognition of programmes through open and distance learning.

 According to Madhusudan, the authorities concerned preferred to go ahead according to their whims and fancies, even as the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development and State Higher Education department reminded them of the action needed.

In the last such letter (August 2, 2014) to Vice-Chancellor of KSOU M G Krishnan, Rajaneesh Goel, principal secretary to the Higher Education department, had categorically instructed to file a detailed report in three days to the UGC financial advisor.

According to Madhusudan, when Krishnan failed to clarify, a public notice was served on June 16, 2015. The notice gives a detailed account of reasons behind the action. It says, the programmes offered by KSOU have not been recognised by UGC beyond 2012-13. Moreover, the university has been offering engineering programmes, despite clear directions against doing so.

Goel was compelled to write to the VC, as the financial adviser to UGC, Upamanya Basu, had written to Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee on May 21, 2014.

In his letter, Basu had drawn his attention towards the series of correspondences between the Distance Education Council and KSOU.

Basu had said, “Offering MPhil and PhD programmes in distance mode is in violation of the UGC regulations of 2009 and franchising of study centres is not permitted’.

“In the light of the above, I shall appreciate if the State government could intervene and prevail upon the university to take immediate corrective steps. Accordingly, the degrees offered in distance mode by the university, pursuant to admission it has made in academic session 2013-14, cannot be treated as valid.”

The chief secretary had made a note on the letter, saying, “The matter is extremely serious and deserves immediate attention. If the department feels that His Excellency the Chancellor should be informed, it may do so.”

Board was kept in the dark: MLC

Madhusudan claimed that the BoM was kept in the dark, even as several developments took place.

He sought to clarify that the role of BoM members is restricted, with the VC vested with rights to prepare the minutes of the meeting.

When the media tried to bring it to the notice of Madhusudan that the BJP was in power in the State, with Jagadish Shettar as chief minister when the irregularities happened, Madhusudan said, “The government had nothing to say, with Governor (Bhardwaj) playing a key role.”

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(Published 20 June 2015, 19:34 IST)

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