Varsity violates NCTE norms by admitting 1,023 students in one academic year

As per memorandum of understanding Manonmaniam Sundarnar varsity has to admit 500 students every academic year

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

The B.Ed admissions in directorate of distance and continuing education in Manonmaniam Sundaranar University have been made without following the norms of National Council for Teacher Education, according to documents available with Express.

It is learnt that the university flouted the norms of NCTE by admitting 1,523 students in the B.Ed distance education programme in two years where as according to the norms of NCTE it should have admitted only 1,000 students.

Interestingly, as per the terms of recognition to directorate of distance and continuing education of Manomaniam Sundarnar University under Section 14 (3) a of NCTE Act, 1993, the university was allowed an intake of 500 students annually after the formal recognition order came into being in 2009-10.

Surprisingly, as per records the university has already admitted 1,523 students in two years thus violating the prescribed norms of NCTE. And what is more damning is one such admission happened barely four months after admission of 500 students was over.

Sources said the university began admission of B.Ed programme in the academic year 2009-10 by admitting 500n students. Interestingly, on July 2010, the university admitted 523 students instead of the prescribed 500 candidates for the academic year 2010-11. Surprisingly, 500 students were admitted again on November 18 for the academic year 2010-11.

This clearly violates the norms of NCTE and the university also faces the threat of cancellation of B.Ed course, sources said. According to NCTE norms Clause 7 states that any violation to NCTE norms will attract the cancellation of approval to conduct the B.Ed course through directorate of distance and continuing education.

“Who has authorized to admit 1,523 candidates within two academic years (2009-10 and 2010-11) instead of 1000 candidates? Does the University syndicate approve these type of violations? If so when was the approval obtained from the syndicate?,” sources questioned. The registrar of the university could not be reached for comments.

Interestingly, the registrar of the university has been ordered to submit a report over the irregularities in admission to B. Ed courses in the distance education after The New Indian Express brought it to light. It was revealed that then vice chancellor R T Sabapathy Mohan, a close aide of then Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy, personally handed over the applications of some of the candidates (as mentioned in documents in green ink) as the list of selected candidates for B.Ed course in the distance education was prepared, a month before the submission of the applications.