Chandigarh: University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a notification for banning M Phil and PhD program through distance education mode. The notice has been issued for universities, deemed to be universities, college, and institutions of national importance across the state of Haryana.
The ban came into effect on June 1, 2009, the same day it was notified in the gazette. The order has come as a blow to Chaudhary Devi Lal University (CDLU), Sirsa, in particular, as it will lose nearly half of its students in the distance education program due to the notification issued by the UGC. Although, CDLU was not conducting PhD program through distance education mode its MPhil program was very popular amongst students from different parts of the nation.
Many other universities of the state also have a large number of M Phil students in their distance education program. Even PhD program were conducted by some private universities in the state through distance education. The inclination towards M Phil through distance education increased after the UGC exempted the condition of NET for the appointment of university teachers.