MU to move court against notification on distance education

The Mangalore University has decided to move court against the state government’s notification which offered exclusive right of conducting Open and Distance Learning (ODL) courses to Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) in Mysuru.

As of now, University of Mysore, Bangalore University, Kuvempu University-Shivamogga, Mangalore University and Karnatak University, Dharwad, are offering distance education programmes under its jurisdiction. The government’s notification has given exclusive right to the KSOU to offer Open and Distance Learning courses in the state.

Accordingly, other universities will be forced to shut their Centre of Distance Education which offered distance education programmes.

Mangalore University Vice Chancellor Prof P S Yadapadithaya told DH that the issue was discussed in Syndicate meeting held recently. The Syndicate has asked Mangalore University to approach the Court to appeal against the notificiation. Already, Kuvempu University has moved the court in this regard.

Mangalore University had launched Correspondence Education Programmes as per the National Education Policy in order to provide higher education to all sections of the society. The programme was encouraging disadvantaged and weaker sections to acquire essential skills, information and knowledge to cope with the demands of emerging new professions in a fast changing global society. If the sole right of conducting distance education programmes is given to the KSOU, several students from DK, Udupi and Kodagu, who wanted to pursue their higher education through distance education mode of the MU, will be affected, said a professor.

Following the notification of the government, the Mangalore University had not issued any notification inviting applications for its conventional distance education programmes for the academic year. The University has permission from Distance Education Bureau under the University Grants Commission (UGC) to offer distance education courses till 2021-22, said the Vice Chancellor.

The Centre of Distance Education at Mangalore University now offers BA, BCom and BBA courses, postgraduate courses in Economics, History, Political Science, Sociology, English, Kannada, Hindi, MCom and MBA Tourism Administration under distance education mode.

The Vice-Chancellor said that if Mangalore University winded up its distance education programmes, it would lose an annual revenue of about Rs 5.5 crore.

The Syndicate of the varsity has decided to continue BEd in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode as the University has already received permission for the course for 2021-22. The BEd (ODL) course has much demand from teachers.

The state government issued a Gazette notification granting exclusive right of offering ODL courses to the KSOU after amending the Karnataka State Universities and Certain Other Law (second amendment) Act 2020.