Guwahati: The future of as many as 74,000 students of Gauhati University, who had taken admission to distance education courses, is at stake after a CAG report revealed that 21 such programmes were unapproved.
The report, which has been tabled in the ongoing Winter Session of Assam Assembly, said that despite categorical instructions from UGC, the university, the oldest government-run institute in NorthEast region, continued to offer the 21 courses by providing false affidavits.
It said that 73,912 students were enrolled in 19 of the 21 unapproved courses between 2010-11 to 2016-17 and the university had collected Rs 39.06 crore from them. There was no admission for the MSc-Mathematics and PGD-Insurance Management.
Significantly, the CAG report said that the matter was brought before the Assam Government in August 2018, but the administration has failed to respond so far.
“Gauhati University was offering unapproved courses risking the career prospects of the students as degrees under such courses were not valid for jobs in central government services,” the CAG report said, the findings of which have been reported by news agency PTI.
In 2010-11, IGNOU, with approval of the Distance Education Council (DEC), had recognised the Institute of Distance and Open Learning (IDOL) of the Gauhati University for offering eight courses for three years.
The approval had come with a rider that the university shall not offer any other courses other than the approved ones. However, the university went on to offer 21 courses between 2010-11 to 2016-17. Not only this, the university submitted false affidavits from time to time that it will not start new courses with UGC’s approval.
When its reply was sought, the university said that unapproved courses were offered in anticipation of approval, but they were discontinued from the academic year 2017, the audit report said.