Osmania University has called for admissions into its distance education programme for the academic year 2022. The last date of application is December 15. The programme is being offered by the Prof G Ram Reddy Centre for Distance Education, OU.
Applications are on for admission into a range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including BA, BCom, BBA, MA, MCom, MSc, MBA and MCA, along with a host of diploma courses at the university in Telangana. "Also in the pipeline are short-term, 30-day courses such as photography and documentary filmmaking which will be finalised soon," says Prof GB Reddy, Director of the distance learning centre.
In what seems like an attempt to encourage more people to enrol in these distance learning programmes, eligibility criteria for several courses have been tweaked so as to create a broader pool of students. "Students of BCom study Economics as one of the core subjects, and hence we have opened up seats in MA Economics for them too. MA English has also been made available for anyone who studies English as one of the papers in their graduation. It is the age of integrated learning, and we believe that these changes are also in line with the provisions of the National Education Policy, 2020, and will encourage more students to enrol in the courses and pursue higher education, regardless of employment, family and financial constraints," said the Director of the centre which has been offering remote learning options since 1977.
With these adjustments in place, the varsity, which was awarded graded autonomy and an A+ grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), is expecting at least 1,000 additional applicants for the courses to beat its last year's tally of about 4,000 students.
The director also states that plans are in place to change the eligibility criteria for Masters in Psychology, and make it available for all students, regardless of their major in their undergraduate years. This is being implemented in other universities in the country already and is a plan in the works at OU. "Also in the pipeline are short-term 30-day courses on subjects such as photography and documentary filmmaking, and we believe there should be takers for these courses in time too," says the Director, adding that senior bureaucrats in the central government have also enrolled in the distance learning courses offered by the state's premier varsity.
To register and apply, students can visit www.oucde.in.