REGULATOR SPEAK

UGC , when specifically asked about the status of IBMR and the CPOP offered through Bharathiar University says:

UGC has no information on CPOP.
This means CPOP as a structure is unapproved by the UGC. In other words, the claim that Bharathiar University’s degrees are approved by the UGC may not hold water if CPOP itself hasn’t been approved.

University is not authorised to open study centres beyond its territorial jurisdiction.
The university has no right to operate and offer degrees through institutions like IBMR, which are situated outside the state of Tamil Nadu.

DEC approval is essential for DL programmes.
If at all IMBR is offering a DL programme, through CPOP then the DEC, the regulatory authority governing distance education, should have approved it

DEC WAS THE NEXT STOP FOR THE STUDENTS. WHEN THEY APPROACHED THE ORGANISATION TO ENQUIRE ABOUT THE VALIDITY OF THEIR DEGREE THIS IS WHAT THEY FOUND.

DEC has granted provisional recognition to Bharathiar.
The Bharathiar University has been offered provisional recognition only for its School of Distance Learning. However, the DEC is silent on all courses offered through the CPOP mechanism.

Study centres are set up by the concerned university as per UGC norms and guidelines.
The DEC claims that it hasn’t accorded seperate approval for the study centres as they have been set up under the UGC norms and guidelines.

However, the UGC explicitly bans the setting up of study centres outside the territorial jurisdiction of the state. 

 A) In the Supreme Court Case Prof. Yashpal & Anr. Vs. State of Chhattisgarh & Ors. , the judgement dated 11/02/2005 reads

“....In view of Article 245 (1) of the Constitution, Parliament alone is competent to make laws for the whole or any part of the territory of India and the legislature of a State may make laws for the whole or any part of the State.  The impugned Act.... is clearly beyond the legislative competence of the Chhattisgarh legislature.”

B)

DISTANCE EDUCATION COUNCIL
INDIRA GANDHI NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY
MAIDAN GARHI, NEW DELHI – 110068
Recognition of Distance Education Institutions & Their Programmes

Public Notice

It has come to the Notice of the DEC that many Universities/Institutions are giving misleading advertisements in Newspapers stating that their programmes are recognised by the Distance Education Council. Further, it is the responsibility of the institution to strictly adhere to the norms prescribed by concerned statutory authorities for offering professional and technical programmes. And, further it is in the public interest and in the interest of maintaining standards in the open and distance learning system, that the study centers of an institution are not franchised and run by the institution itself. Also admissions, examinations and evaluations are directly managed by the institution.  

 Director
Distance Education Council

C)

3. Some study centres actively advertise and admit students throughout the year unlike a regulated university where there is a start and end date to a session, to enable students to attend all classes. This is seen as exploitation of the degree giving powers than imparting full and complete education.

4. Since it is not an affiliated institution, the fees are not regulated by the university and the possibility of students being fleeced is quite high. In fact, there are cases where study centres charge 100 times the fees that a university normally  charges for its programmes.

5. Since, the university earns money on each additional student  admitted in the study centre, there are cases where the number of students enrolled are in thousands  while the capacity is for hundreds. 

6.  And if the study centre shuts down, as was the case with Bangalore School of Business in Ahmedabad, the university takes no responsbility. Click here to view the report