From: sambhaji patil
The University Grants Commission (UGC) will now seek legal opinion on its
two-year-old ban on MPhil and PhD courses through distance learning. The
decision came after universities have claimed that such a ban is hampering
their autonomy. The commission discussed the matter at its last meeting on
February 3, 2011 and decided to seek legal opinion on whether its
regulations can override powers conferred on the universities by their acts
to offer such courses, a source said.
The UGC came out with a rule in 2009— the Minimum Standards and Procedure
for Awards of MPhil/PhD Degree Regulation — that states research courses in
the distant mode were of poor quality. The regulations have put a question
mark on the future of nearly 10,000 students pursing such courses through
universities across the country and the degrees that they will eventually
get. Even those who have got such degrees since the regulations were issued
face uncertainty.
In order to protest the rule Open University IGNOU and evn regular
universities have argued that their respective laws, passed by Parliament or
the state legislatures, allowed them to offer such courses.
Although there are institutions like IGNOU which are not following the bar,
“The UGC regulations do not apply to us as we have been allowed to offer
such courses under our act. That is why we did not stop our PhD and MPhil
programmes,” vice-chancellor Rajasekharan Pillai said.
Justifying the ban, R.K. Chauhan, a former UGC Secretary said, “The quality
of research programmes like PhD and MPhil is poor in the distant-learning
mode. Large numbers of students pursued such courses, which were treated
equivalent to the National Eligibility Test (NET) held to appoint
lecturers.”
Chauhan contrasted the distance-learning programmes with the relatively
tougher UGC rules that apply to the regular PhD and MPhil courses, under
which students are to be given admission through an entrance test and must
do a course before start working on their thesis.
But Ignou vice-chancellor Pillai claimed the UGC had no authority to debar
universities from offering any course. “Our university is an autonomous
organisation under the IGNOU Act and is allowed to offer MPhil and PhD
courses. We have been offering such courses since the 1990s. How can the UGC
take away that power?” Officials of the central varsity have met a UGC panel
and demanded that the ban be lifted. Pillai said IGNOU’s MPhil and PhD were
more rigorous programmes. Students have to do a course work and get their
research published in a varsity-prescribed journal.
But A.N. Mishra, president of the Federation of the Central University
Teachers’ Association, argued that as the statutory body regulating higher
education, the UGC could set standards to maintain quality in research
programmes.
[Source: The Telegraphhttp://www.telegraphindia.com/1110303/jsp/nation/story_13661256.jsp#
]
Please see website:-
http://www.indiaeducationreview.com/news/ugc-rethink-over-ban-distance-phd
From
Sambhaji Patil
Librarian
MET's Institute of Engineering,
Bhujbal Knowledge City,
Adgaon, Nashik-3
Maharashtra
09420691868
