Distance education programmes offered by Tamil Nadu's Annamalai University declared invalid by UGC

The Open and Distance Learning (ODL) courses that are being offered by Annamalai University in Tamil Nadu are in violation of the rules and regulations that have been set by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and thus, the commission has asked students not to seek admissions to these ODL courses. 

The regulations of UGC clearly state that unless and until the commission has granted recognition, no higher educational institutes can offer any ODL programmes and/or online programmes or admit students. As far as Annamalai University is concerned, they were granted recognition to offer ODL courses till 2014-2015. And after that, there was no further recognition accorded to the Tamil Nadu-based university, said the UGC, as per a report in Hindustan Times.

"The ODL programmes offered by the Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu without prior approval of UGC are invalid and the University is solely responsible for the career consequences of the students, if any, arising out of the same,” the official notification said.

The commission's advice to the students was that they refrain from taking admissions in the ODL programmes that are being offered by the university. In view of the absence of recognition of the programmes by the commission, taking admissions in such programmes might "jeopardise the career of the students", it said.