Kerala Government Says No To UGC Proposal Allowing Students To Pursue Multiple Academic Programmes Simultaneously

The Kerala government has objected the University Grants Commission(UGC) proposal to allow two regular academic programmes simultaneously, reports The Hindu.

The union government has backed a proposal to allow students to pursue either the distance or online course along with a regular degree programme.

The Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) undertook extensive deliberations over a recent communication by the UGC regarding the validity of pursuing multiple programmes simultaneously. The council felt that it would be unwise to prevent students from taking up online or distance education courses in view of the high Internet penetration and stressed the need for having a strict regulation over the provision.

“Enabling students to enrol for two or more courses could dilute the essence of the learning process. While it is illogical to discourage online courses in the age of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), the current move could be aimed at legalising a market for private universities. In contrast to our State universities, private institutions have begun to attract students with new-generation, job-oriented courses,” a senior official said.