Students of lower middle class in India who can’t afford to go to a regular college due to financial issues saw Distance Education as the ray of hope to continue their studies which they have to stop to start earning early.

Universities like SMU-DE, PTU started offering various courses through distance learning with using all the mass media channels and millions of students saw this as an opportunity to improve their academic credentials.  

After checking all the required approvals be it UGC or DEC to run such courses and having being exposed to huge advertisements of these universities students got themselves enrolled in various courses.

Now, how these university got the approvals to offer such courses is not something which is under the control of students. (There might be corruption or any other influence) All they knew was there were all the required approvals.

Suddenly DEC (then a body controlled by IGNOU) wake up in 2012 and say it is not legal for a state university to offer courses outside their respective state's geographical boundary. This had jeopardized the future of all the students who got degrees from such universities.

Nevertheless, Honorable High Court of Sikkim and Supreme court of India have given their verdict on it with protecting the students who have undergone such courses unambiguously and this was also notified by UGC on their website on 1st of October 2015.

Indira Gandhi National University Chose to not implement the court orders and writes to their regional centers in an official communication letter no. IG/SRD/R-IV/Equiv.SMU/2015/305 dated December 18, 2015, not to recognize the degrees of SMU-DE, PTU.

Hence, the regional centers are rejecting the SMU-DE and PTU students saying their degree is not valid as it has been given outside the geographical boundaries of their respective states.

Most of the students who need further higher education are from financially backward families so they can’t fight a court case and SMU-DE shows least interest to stand with them as they have made money and now not interested.

 The points which are to be probed are:

1. Why and how SMU-DE and other such university got DEC approval to offer courses outside their state boundaries?

2. Once they had allowed, what was the reason to pass a resolution knowing that it will jeopardize the career of millions of students who have undergone such courses?

3. Why is IGNOU still not implementing the court orders and harassing students? 

Please help all those students and ensure that Ministry of HRD and Supreme court of India intervene and ensure no such thing happen in future.

Thanks & Regards,

 Team, Unity and Equality