According to recent amendments notified by University Grants Commission (UGC), universities must now obtain prior approval from the UGC in order to offer open and distance learning courses.
The commission mentioned that, “Universities may offer courses in the Open and Distance Learning mode, with approval of the Commission, provided it satisfies all the conditions laid down under regulations, by whatever name they are called, pertaining to open and distance learning mode notified by the UGC from time to time.”
Amendments to the current regulations were agreed at the commission’s 562nd meeting on October 28 and were later published on November 18 in the Gazette of India.
According to previous rule, the commission’s approval, universities were permitted to offer open and distance learning programmes as long as they met “all the conditions laid down under regulations, by whatever name they are called, pertaining to open and distance learning mode notified by the UGC from time to time.”
