New Delhi: The academic year 2011-12 saw the introduction of the semester system in Delhi University (DU), New Delhi, one of the esteemed educational institutions in India. While all colleges under the university accepted the decision with a positive nod, School of Open Learning (SOL) chose not to follow the path and continues with the regular yearly pattern. A leading institution of distance education in the country, SOL has since then been facing dilemmatic issues of introducing the semester system.
Officials have informed that over one lakh students have enrolled themselves under distance education mode for this academic year. DU had introduced a new and revised syllabus for students admitted to various undergraduate courses in the current academic session. As such, they are likely to face problems since the syllabi taught at SOL and other regular colleges are different. Sources reveal that the decision to follow the semester system was passed on to all colleges upon the interim order issued by the Delhi High Court on May 16, 2011, including SOL by the registrar of DU; however, implementation is still awaited from SOL.
On the contrary, Dr. Tapan Biswal, President of the Delhi University Correspondence Courses Teachers Association (DUCCTA), said that the piquant situation has further added to the problems of students pursuing courses under SOL. He further informed that neither teachers nor students have been conveyed about the introduction of the new semester syllabi in writing. To add to the complexity of the problem, students have already been sent the study material of the old course which, in practicality, does not exist as the ordinance to launch semester system and new course was already amended in the executive meetings conducted in April and May this year.
The situation has further been complicated with a letter sent by Distance Education Council (DEC) to DU asking the authorities to comply with the DEC norms in order to recognize degrees awarded by the University in the distance mode, added Biswal. However, according to the condition included by the council, students pursuing studies through the distance learning mode are required to follow the same syllabi and course taught to those enrolled under the regular face-to-face mode. Presently, the SOL students stand in a situation of double jeopardy, with the degree not being only in violation to its ordinance, but also stand at the risk of not receiving recognition from DEC.
