Public universities from M’wada lag in distance mode education
Lokmat News Network
By Mehboob Inamdar
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University (BAMU) and Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University (SRTMU) are lagging behind other state universities in offering undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in distance mode.
It may be noted that most of the public universities across the State offer different UG, PG and Ph D courses in offline mode. All the open universities started these courses in distance mode. Online education gained importance in the post-COVID period when the number of information and communication technology (ICT) users increased.
Most higher education institutions are seeing a decline in students attending daily classes for various reasons, including the availability of guidance and knowledge through technology. This is benefiting open universities and affecting the strength of traditional universities.
Considering this, public universities and colleges which offer offline courses are now tending to launch some online UG and PG courses to cater for the demand of youths, specially those who are out of State, country or in-service and cannot attend classes in person.
More than 20 universities and colleges of the State received permission from the University Grants Commission (UGC) to launch Open and Distance Learning (ODL) courses for the academic year 2025-26.
The UGC declared the list of such institutes. But Bamu and SRTMU lag in ODL. Bamu had planned in 2023 for online master's courses in management and computer applications. But, it is on the back burner to date.
When contacted, Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr Walmik Sarwade said that the university had done all the preparations, like recording lectures for MBA and MCA courses in online mode. “However, the required infrastructure and staff for the online courses are still pending. The administration may reconsider this,” he added.
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UGC bans courses of some disciplines from distance mode
The UGC has banned offering online courses in some disciplines. The courses included Engineering, Medical, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Other Para-Medical disciplines, Pharmacy, Nursing, Dental, Architecture, Law, Agriculture, Horticulture, Hotel Management, Catering Technology, Culinary Sciences, Aircraft Maintenance, Visual Art and Sports.
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There are UGC (Open and Distance Learning Programmes and Online Programmes) Regulations, 2020 and its amendments, for the starting online courses. As per the 578th UGC decision, Central, State or Private Universities don't require prior approval or recommendation from AICTE for offering of UG, PG and PG Diploma courses falling under the disciplines of Management, Computer Applications and Travel and Tourism.
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Which institutes are running online courses in State
Selected institutes for distance mode education included Savitribai Phule Pune University, Shivaji University, University of Mumbai, Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University, SNDT Women’s University, Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University, MIT Art Design Technology University and Bharati Vidyapeeth.