Question : Distance Education by Deemed Universities

(a) whether the Supreme Court has raised certain objections with regard to award of degree by deemed universities through distance education mode;
(b) if so, the details of the efforts made by the Government in this regard;
(c) whether the Government proposes to review the policy of award of degree through distance education;
(d) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government in this regard; and
(e) the details of the universities offering degree through distance education mode in the country, State/UT-wise?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
(DR. SATYA PAL SINGH)
(a): Yes, Madam. The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India in its Order dated 03.11.2017 in Civil Appeal Nos. 17869-17870/2017 has suspended the engineering degrees awarded through distance mode between 2001-2005 without the permission of the AICTE by four Deemed to be Universities namely: (1) Institute of Advanced Studies in Education (IASE) Sardarshahr, Rajasthan; (2) Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth (JRNRV), Udaipur, Rajasthan; (3) Vinayaka Mission’s Research Foundation (NMRF), Salem, Tamil Nadu; and (4) Allahabad Agricultural Institute (AAI), Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh (now known as Sam Higginbottom Institute of Agriculture, Technology & Sciences). The Court has further cancelled the degrees of the students admitted by concerned Deemed to be Universities after the Academic Sessions 2001-2005 in Engineering through distance education mode. The Court has also ordered that:
i. The UGC to consider whether the Deemed to be University status enjoyed by the concerned institutions, namely, JRN, AAI, IASE and VMRF calls for any withdrawal of the status and conduct an inquiry in this behalf.
ii. AICTE to devise the modalities to conduct an appropriate test / tests for those students who were admitted in these Institutions during the Academic Sessions 2001-2005. The options may be given to the concerned students either for appearing in the test or for not appearing in the test.
iii. Those students, who do not wish to exercise the option, shall be refunded entire money deposited by them towards tuition fee and other charges by the Institutions and their degrees shall stand cancelled.
iv. No Deemed to be Universities to carry on any courses in distance education mode from the Academic Session 2018- 2019 onwards unless and until it is permissible to conduct such courses in distance education mode and specific permissions are granted by the concerned statutory/regulatory authorities in respect of each of those courses and unless the off-campus Centres/Study Centres are individually inspected and found adequate by the concerned Statutory Authorities. The approvals have to be course specific.
v. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to carry out thorough investigation into the conduct of the concerned officials who dealt with the matters and went about the granting permissions against the policy statement.
(b) to (d): Pursuant to the directions of Hon’ble Supreme Court, this Ministry has constituted a Committee to examine the issues in the distance education offered by Higher Educational Institutions especially pertaining to technical education and its allied fields, and also to suggest a road map for strengthening and setting up of oversight and regulatory mechanism on the institutions offering distance education. The Committee has also been asked to suggest oversight mechanism to regulate the Deemed to be Universities. Apart from this, CBI has been requested to carry out through investigation against the concerned Institutions / officials so that appropriate action may be taken against the Institutions / Officials concerned.
(e): The details of the Universities / Institutions Deemed to be Universities offering distance education programmes, as recognised by UGC, are placed at Annexure-I.
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