UGC grants approval to Madras University’s IDE to offer BEd programme

Apart from BEd, UGC also approved six additional UG/PG programmes. The courses include geography, medical sociology, sociology and music.

University Grants Commission (UGC) gave approval to the University of Madras’s Institute of Distance Education to establish a two-year B Ed programme. Madras University IDE received the approval on Monday, i.e. January 18, 2021. The efforts of former Vice-Chancellor P Duraisamy of Madras University initiated the commencement of the course back in 2017. However, the proposal got postponed due to the University's non-compliance with several norms of the regulatory authorities. While the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) accepted the proposal in 2019, the University had to wait for the approval from the University Grants Commission.

Talking about the approval, an official revealed, “We got approval in 2019 but in 2020 we could not offer the programme. Due to the Pandemic, the UGC cancelled the approval process last year. Very few universities managed to get BEd programmes. We applied again in October last and received the approval today.”

According to the reports, approximately 500 students per session will be enrolled under this course in the varsity. Admission to Madras University’s IDE programmes is held twice a year, i.e., in January and June. The official further added, however, the pandemic caused a delay in the completion of the academic year admission, which was postponed until December. The calendar year is most likely to start from February consequently.

In order to commence the admission process, the institute has to complete some compulsory paper works. Meanwhile, the Madras University already has permission to provide 37 programmes through IDE, including 15 undergraduate and 22 postgraduate courses in English as well as Tamil medium. Apart from BEd, UGC also approved six additional UG/PG programmes. The courses include geography, medical sociology, sociology and music.

Temporary teachers are appointed temporarily to teach the BEd courses. According to NCTE norms, some faculty from other departments had also been substituted to the IDE, the official informed. As per the official, the UGC’s approval is provisional and depends upon the University's responses to queries disclosed by the UGC.

Read More:

• Madras University IDE Courses & Fees 
• Madras University Admission