KOZHIKODE: The High Court direction to the Calicut University to close down the distance education centres functioning overseas has sparked yet another row.
Welcoming the High Court order, many teachers and syndicate and senate members said that these centres were created for misappropriation of funds.
However, the authorities termed them as facilitation centres for distance education students and hinted that the varsity would seek legal option to tackle the closure order.
Speaking to DC, Calicut University Registrar Dr T.A. Abdul Majeed said that the units were facilitation and information centres for overseas distance education students and were not directly associated with the varsity.
“Those centres are run by private institutions, organisations and individuals which help the students get information on different courses and examinations. However, since the High Court direction should be complied with, we will discuss the matter and do the needful,” he said.
Syndicate member Dr V.P. Abdul Hameed said that the varsity would seek legal options to continue the system. “The order would affect a good number of students depending on the varsity for studies. We will decide about legal steps at the meeting on Wednesday,” he said.
However, another syndicate member Dr Fathimath Suhra said that the university was earlier told by the UGC that the centres were illegal, but the authorities had ignored it.
“Though the name is facilitation centres, many of those centres were functioning as colleges and the varsity was backing such institutions. They are merely centres to make money and huge financial misappropriation was going on using such centres,” she said.
On Saturday, a division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice A.M. Shaffique passed the order while considering a petition filed by Calicut University senate member Godwin, seeking a directive to close the off-campus centres.
