House panel for CBI probe into illegal courses of UoM, KSOU

A Legislative Council committee on Monday recommended that a CBI probe should be conducted into the unauthorised online and outreach courses being conducted by the University of Mysore (UoM) and the Mysuru-headquartered Karnataka State Open University (KSOU).

In its report submitted in the Council, the eight-member privilege committee headed by BJP MLC G Madhusudan has stated that 15,650 students have been cheated by the UoM. The students have been given illegal degrees in various under-graduate, post-graduate and diploma courses conducted through 129 online and outreach programme centres across the country. These courses were conducted illegally outside the territorial jurisdiction of UoM, the report mentioned.

Similarly, the KSOU has entered into an agreement with several collaborative institutions across India and countries such as America and Nepal and illegally carried out its educational activities. It has offered numerous courses such as BE/BTech, ME/MTech, medical and para-medical, degree in Yoga and Ayurveda without obtaining permission from All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Medical Council of India (MCI) and University Grants Commission (UGC). The university has cheated 3.25 lakh students by offering such courses, the report said.

The committee has instructed the Higher Education department to take immediate measures to terminate such courses offered by the UoM and KSOU. Though the UoM had assured the committee that such courses will be discontinued, it has given admission to more than 1,000 students from across the country, the report stated.

BJP legislator Capt Ganesh Karnic and other members had in 2015 moved a privilege motion against the UoM and KSOU, arguing that the two universities have not obtained the approval of the state legislature for various statues and regulations formulated by them over a period of time. The committee has recommended that  UoM Vice Chancellor Prof K S Rangappa and the then VC of KSOU Prof M G Krishnan should be summoned to the House and reprimanded for not appearing before it.

Education officer of the UGC Megha Kaushik had written in a letter, dated December 4, 2015, to Vice Chancellor of UoM that in violation of the UGC norms, the university had established several educational institutions both within the country and abroad. The AICTE has also informed that it has not given permission or recognition to MBA courses being offered under online and outreach programmes by UoM.

“The Committee feels that this is a black mark on the University which is celebrating its centenary function... According to the statistics provided by the University, 15,650 students have got education so far and have paid around Rs 26 crore fees. The University has cheated such a large number of students even though the entire system is unofficial and illegal,” the report stated.

Madhusudan informed the House that the KSOU has offered highly-technical courses such as aeronautical engineering without obtaining necessary permissions. Lakhs of students who have obtained degree certificate from the KSOU are now in the lurch. The KSOU and UoM have been offering these illegal courses since 2010. A detailed probe has to be conducted into these irregularities and steps should be taken to protect the interest of students, he said.
DH News Service