GND university to have distance learning centre

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, February 19

In order to provide better education to students, Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) will establish Directorate of Open and Distance Learning. Thirteen constituent colleges of the university will provide guidance and coaching to students taking admission in distance learning courses.

Speaking at a press conference, Dr Jaspal Singh Sandhu, Vice Chancellor, GNDU, said, “We are going to have a Directorate of Open and Distance Learning from the coming session. The staff at the constituent colleges will be involved in the new learning system. The centre will be opened here in the university.”

Elaborating it further, Prof Kamaljit Singh, Dean, Academic Affairs, said, “Student will be taking admission here and the staff of our 13 constituent colleges will guide them. We have planned to introduce skill-based courses.”

Replying to a question regarding the status of Category-1 by the University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, Dr Sandhu affirmed that full academic autonomy would help the university design new courses, provide world-class education, getting foreign faculty and students under foreign exchange programmes. “The university will collaborate with world top educational institutes to start joint courses under which students will complete one or two semesters in foreign universities,” he said.

The university is also planning to evaluate its teaching strength and ensure the desired lectures are taken by their teaching faculty as per the rules of the UGC. “We want to utilise the services of a number of teachers. They have to ensure that they take required lectures as per the UGC. We will also be evaluating the number of teaching staff and the required ones,” he added.

Registrar Prof KS Kahlon, Director, PR, Parveen Kumar and Prof SS Chimni, in-charge, public relations of the university, among others were present.