UGC invites applications from institutions to start distance, online programmes

NEW DELHI: University Grants Commission (UGC) has invited applications from higher educational institutions for open and distance learning (ODL) and online programmes for the 2021-22 session.

“The online portal for submitting applications shall remain open from July 15, 2021 to July 31, 2021,” the UGC’s public notice says. The academic session for the online programmes was supposed to begin in July. However, the UGC changed it to November in a meeting held on July 1, says the notice. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted academic schedules across institutions.

Earlier in June, UGC had decided to allow 38 universities across the country to offer full-fledged degree courses online. These universities selected included Jamia Millia Islamia University (JMI), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), 13 state universities and three private institutions to offer degree programmes online. The courses being offered range from business administration to journalism, mass communication, data science and liberal arts. The universities are allowed to offer these courses only when they comply with the regulations of UGC.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, UGC has already allowed up to 40 percent of a standard course to be taught online. It also drafted a set of guidelines on blended learning -- combining online and offline teaching -- that has faced resistance from student and teachers’ organisations.

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