CHENNAI: Admissions to BEd courses in the distance learning mode in Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU) have been made without following the norms of National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), according to documents available with Express. It is learnt that the university flouted the norms of NCTE by admitting 1,523 students in the BEd distance education programme in two years whereas, according to NCTE norms, it should have admitted only 1,000 students.Interestingly, as per the terms of recognition to Directorate of Distance and Continuing Education of MSU 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 that one such admission happened four months after admission of 500 students was over.Sources said that the university began admission to BEd programme in the academic year 2009-10 by admitting 500 students. In 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 violated the norms of NCTE and the university faced the threat of cancellation of BEd course, sources said. According to NCTE norms, Clause 7 states that any violation of NCTE norms will attract the cancellation of approval to conduct the BEd course through the Directorate of Distance and Continuing Education.“Who has authorised to admit 1,523 candidates within two academic years (2009-10 and 2010-11) instead of 1,000 candidates? Does the university syndicate approve these types 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 Express brought it to light. It was revealed that then V-C, R T Sabapathy Mohan, a close aide of the then Higher Education Minister K Ponmudy, personally handed over the applications of some of the candidates as the list of selected candidates for BEd course was prepared, a month before the submission of the applications.
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