Question : NATIONAL LEVEL DISTANCE EDUCATION PROGRAMMES

(a) the details of rules and procedure that govern and regulate the distance education programme including its scope and extent in respect of a university established in a State/ UT under an Act of Parliament;

(b) whether the Government has banned the national level distance education programmes of the universities;

(c) if so, whether the views of the universities and the States/UTs were taken and considered before resorting to the measure of banning/restricting the distance education programmes of universities; and

(d) if so, the details thereof including the action taken on the views/requests of universities/ States/UTs and if not, the reasons therefor?

MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT(SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a): Consequent upon the dissolution of erstwhile Distance Education Council (DEC) of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in the year 2013, the Central Government has entrusted the regulatory mechanism of Open & Distance Learning (ODL) education in higher education system of the country to University Grants Commission (UGC). As per the information furnished by UGC, at present, the commission has adopted the guidelines of erstwhile DEC itself i.e. ‘Minimum Requirement for Recognition for ODL Institutions’ to govern and regulate the distance education programmes in the concerned Institutions.

(b): No, Madam. UGC has only notified its policy on Territorial Jurisdiction of Universities in offering programmes through distance mode. In case of Central Universities, the Territorial Jurisdiction will be as per their Acts and Statutes for offering programmes through distance mode and in case of State Universities (both Govt. and Private), the Territorial Jurisdiction will be as per their Acts and statutes but not beyond the boundary of the respective states. The Territorial Jurisdiction in case of Deemed Universities will be as per UGC mandates and prior approval of the UGC is required for opening Study Centres / Off Campus Centres outside the HQs. The territorial jurisdiction in case of Private Institutions (other than Universities) shall be their HQs and in no case outside the State concerned. The recent notification of UGC on Territorial Jurisdiction may be accessed on the UGC website (www.ugc.ac.in).

(c) & (d): In view of the reply given at (b) above, the questions do not arise.