University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) have issued an advisory warning to students against online PhD programmes promoted by ed-tech companies in collaboration with foreign educational varsities.
As per the notice, the PhD programmes being offered will not be recognised by UGC and AICTE. The educational bodies had warned their recognised varsities and institutions against offering courses in distance learning and online mode in association with Ed-tech companies, saying no “franchise” agreement is permissible according to norms earlier this year.
UGC and AICTE issued a joint order that states, “In order to maintain the standards for awarding Ph.D degrees, the UGC has notified the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedure for Award of MPhil, PhD degrees) Regulation 2016. It is mandatory for all higher educational institutions (HEIs) to follow UGC Regulations and its amendments for awarding PhD degrees.”
The advisory notice further added, “Such online Ph.D programmes are not recognised by the UGC. Aspiring students and the public at large, are requested to verify the authenticity of Ph.D programmes as per UGC Regulation 2016 before taking admission.”