Bharathiar University instructs franchise centres to stop operations immediately
COIMBATORE: Bharathiar University has finally asked its franchise centres to stop their operations with immediate effect. “No private franchise in any form be entertained within the state of Tamil Nadu as study centres of the university’s school of distance education (BU-SDE) from the academic year 2018-2019 onwards,” it told them in a communication dated May 25.
Quoting the resolution taken at the 304th syndicate meeting held on May 18, the communication further read, “As some private franchises are undertaking the process of admission for this year, this resolution has to be acted upon immediately.”
The move is based on a June 2017 regulation by the University Grants Commission(UGC) and comes almost two months after the syndicate in a meeting on March 26 decided that the franchising of distance education be stopped. While the syndicate decided that no more renewals would be offered for the existing franchise centres, the students, who had been doing their courses, would be allowed to complete them.
The recent communication stated that the “approval for the study/facilitator centres other than higher education institution (any arts and science college affiliated to the arts and science university within Tamil Nadu) are hereby withdrawn”. It also warned of legal action against the erring centres.
When contacted, P Thirunavukkarasu, a member of the convener committee of the university, said the circular was based on a UGC regulation to close down franchise centres. “We had already informed the centres last September. Now, we have passed a resolution in the syndicate meeting and sent a communication to the centres that haven’t complied with our instructions,” he said.
Registrar incharge of BU, B Vanitha, reiterated the university’s earlier decision to close the franchise centres. “We had already decided to stop admissions through franchise centres. Now that we have placed the decision in the syndicate, we have sent the communication to the centres,” she said.
The university has, meanwhile, sent call letters to the affiliated colleges seeking expression of interest to act as learner support centres “to operate programmes of distance education as per UGC regulation – 2017”. A decision in this regard was also taken at the syndicate meeting held on May 18. The colleges have been given time till June 18 to express their interest.
