Mysuru-based Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) plans to launch nationwide online courses alongside its traditional Open Distance Learning (ODL) courses and nationwide online courses once they receive accreditation from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). has.
Speak with IE Here on Monday, KSOU Vice Chancellor (VC) Sharanappa V Halse said the university had applied for NAAC rating for the first time in the 27 years of its founding and was confident of achieving a top spot.
“With NAAC accreditation expected in March, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has approved accreditation for the January cycle through March,” he added.
KSOU was founded in June 1996 by the Institute for Correspondence Courses and Continued Edification (ICC and CE) of the University of Mysore (UoM). The ICC and CE were started in 1966 under UoM.
“Prior to 2015, KSOU had reached an annual enrollment of over a thousand students. Currently, the strength of KSOU is around 41,000 students, including 20,000 admissions during the current academic year. We launched an admissions campaign to reach every nook and cranny of Karnataka and regain former glory in ODL courses. We also want to reach students across borders through online courses. Therefore, NAAC accreditation is a requirement,” Halse said.
According to Halse, apart from the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), there are 14 universities in India that only offer ODL courses. “Among them, Ahmedabad-based Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University in Gujarat secured the grade NAAC A++. Compared to all other ODL universities, KSOU is far better in terms of infrastructure, staff and quality of education. So we’re confident of getting a top spot,” he said.
“KSOU has a staff of 1,200 with 139 study centers and 23 regional centers. On a pilot basis, the seven MBA department staff were given the task of covering all 31 districts of Karnataka in 10 days and improving enrollment for their respective department’s courses. Other departments will replicate the model to increase overall enrollment,” he said.
It should be remembered that the UGC, by decision of June 10, 2015, deregistered the courses offered by the KSOU retrospectively from the 2013-14 academic year. The derecognition followed a “Show Cause Notice” issued on June 10, 2011, after considering the KSOU’s response.
In October 2018, the UGC recognized the courses offered by the KSOU and allowed admission for the 2018-19 academic year under a new proposal.
