Higher Education department tells KSOU to stick to territorial jurisdiction

Following the recent decision by University Grants Commission (UGC), to derecognise Karnataka State Open University (KSOU), the State Higher Education Department has directed the varsity to stick to its territorial jurisdiction.

In a letter by the Principal Secretary of the Department, Bharat Lal Meena, dated June 19, 2015, the varsity has been categorically instructed to discontinue all the technical, medical, paramedical and nursing courses, both within and outside the State. The varsity should make a list of such  courses and submit a report to the department.

“The Karnataka State Open University should stop all the courses it is offering outside the State and admission process (stopped) for the same and limit its activities to Karnataka alone,” the order (in Kannada) read. In another letter dated May 26, 2015, the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) had suggested the State Higher Education department to amend the KSOU Act. It had noted that KSOU has been able to open centres across the country, based on Section 3(2) of the KSOU Act, 1992, which allows it to operate outside the State, while Section 1(2) of the Act states that the varsity extends to the State of Karnataka.

The MHRD had recommended to “initiate necessary action for amending the KSOU Act, 1992 specifically for deletion of the provision made under Section 3(2) which permits KSOU to have its study centres etc. outside the State of Karnataka, so as to remove the contradiction and ambiguity in so far as Section 1(2) and Section 3(2) of the KSOU Act are concerned.”

KSOU Registrar Prof P S Naik will be leaving for New Delhi on June 22, to convince the authorities at the UGC to withdraw its recent order on derecognition.

“Naik will hold a meeting with UGC Secretary Jaspal S Sandhu, making efforts to renew the recognition, at the meeting scheduled for Tuesday” KSOU Vice-Chancellor, Prof M G Krishnan said.