Is my degree valid

The mushrooming of educational institutions, and the resultant diverse disciplines and new courses thrown up, has made the validity of the degrees they bestow a big concern. The plethora of regulatory agencies also adds to the confusion. As Sampath Kumar, an anguished parent told us, "Education has become a jungle and we parents are being eaten alive by unscrupulous animals." The situation can only be remedied by a comprehensive policy change. But even with the Yashpal Committee recommendations, that is quite a distance away.

The first response to the question 'Is my degree valid?' is 'Valid for what?'  A degree primarily serves three purposes. It is proof of you possessing knowledge in a particular field, it's a useful tool to convince your employers about your suitability for a job and finally, it is a passport to higher studies. It's for the latter two purposes that validity matters.

 Take, for example, the PG Diploma in Management (PGDM) offered by a host of AICTE-approved institutions. It is considered equivalent to an MBA for the purposes of employment. But if you were to apply for a Ph.D programme, a PGDM is not adequate to make you eligibile. So before you embark on that coveted degree, remember validity of a degree is a function of the type of institutions, the type of degree and the mode of delivery.

 Institutional diversity
Universities are mandated to award degrees either by an act of parliament or by an act of a state legislature. Their validity is perpetual and only conditional upon relevant approvals by professional bodies, in case they offer professional degrees. 'Deemed University' is a status conferred by the University Grants Commission (UGC), and even these can offer their own degrees, but their status is conditional and time-bound. Some deemed universities do have perpetual status. So check the validity of a deemed university from the UGC website (www.ugc.ac.in) before you embark on a course. All other institutions can only grant degrees after being affiliated to a university. The only exception is those institutions who offer PG diplomas, which are granted equivalence to a degree by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU). Remember, equivalence by AIU is granted only to a programme, and not to an institute. So there are no AIU-recognised institutions, only AIU-validated programmes.

 Type of degrees
This is another aspect where validity requires careful scrutiny. All regular degrees offered by all mandated institutions have validity. But when it comes to a correspondence degree, the law is still unclear. Recently a Delhi University correspondence degree was recognised as a valid degree for Income Tax officer's exam, though it was not recognised by Distance Education Council (DEC). Though this appears to be a matter of an ego clash between two institutions - DU and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), which oversees DEC - the lives of students would be badly affected. So examine if DEC has approved all the programmes, before you do a correspondence degree.

 Mode of delivery
This is a new complication which has been brought about due to a recent Supreme Court judgment. In this judgment (Supreme Court of India, Civil Appeal No.2252 of 2006), the court has accepted the contention of Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) that mode of delivery could be a factor in recognising the validity of a degree. GNDU had submitted that in case of programmes delivered by designated franchises/associated institutions, and in case the course materials are provided by the franchises, then such degrees would be considered not equivalent to the degree of GNDU. The submission creates an artificial distinction between correspondence courses and distance learning courses based on mode of delivery and point of contact between the student and the institution. Until the law is clear on the above, be sure to check the validity of your degree from the university you wish to seek admission to, if it is higher education that motivates you.