UGC to Offer 80% of Any Non-Technical Programme Online
UGC has proposed to allow universities to offer up to 80 percent of any non-technical programme online. It has given approval to 38 universities to offer online courses.
UGC has proposed to allow universities to offer up to 80% of any non-technical programmes online. Last year, it allowed universities to offer up to 40% of any non-technical courses online, from 20% mandate in 2017. Around 100 universities have started offering a few courses online under the 40 percent mode.UGC secretary Rajnish Jain said the proposal will give the universities and students more flexibility. UGC has now given approval to 38 universities to offer full-fledged online courses.
Central universities such as Jamia Milia Islamia will offer MA in Education and MA in Public Administration. JNU will offer MA in Sanskrit totally in an online mode. Mizoram University will also offer 4 online courses. The universities can offer these programmes subject to their compliance with the NAAC or NIRF ranking requirements according to the UGC regulations.UGC has also approved a range of courses including journalism, mass communication, data science, liberal arts, and business administration. Out of the universities approved to offer online courses, 15 are deemed to be, 13 are state universities and 3 are central.
3 private universities - Chandigarh University,Manipal University, and OP Jindal Global University have been approved. State institutes such as the University of Mysore, Kuvempu University, and Alagappa University will offer 12 courses each.
As per the current system, 40 percent of online education is conducted only through readymade material which includes pre-recorded classes, MOOCs where the e-conducted is prepared by subject experts. The universities are not allowed to conduct real-time virtual classes. However, according to the new proposal, 40 percent of online education can include virtual exams and the exam are held offline.
According to the university teachers and professors, the proposal will make online education the mainstay at public universities, which can affect the quality of education. They fear that private universities will continue to one-on-one classes, which will lead to attracting the best students. This can lead to a decline in the quality of learning and research.
Some teachers also feel that the implementation of this proposal can affect the students from underprivileged families and rural areas. Lack of computer and high-speed internet connection is the key to assessing online education, and many students in India do not have access to the same.