University Grants Commission (UGC) has stated that Degrees obtained through online examinations will not be valid any more as the rules don’t allow such exams. UGC Distance Education Bureau recently found out the various institutions which are approved by the regulator to offer distance learning education are violating the rules by offering online examinations. As soon as they found this, UGC declared that the degrees obtained through such online exams will no longer considered as valid, as India’s higher education regulator said that the rules don’t allow such online exams.
A letter written by the Commission to all open universities says, ''These institutions had agreed to conditions such as "no online programme leading to award of degree/certification, until a policy is framed and approved by the UGC.'' Thousands of students are studying various courses through open universities and institutes.
Online examinations are not approved by the UGC due to the fact that tests for a large group involves a host of complexities such as managing a foolproof system with a reliable network connecting the exam centres, and preparing question banks.
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), the country's popular and pioneer institute in distance education, believes it is time to move towards online examinations. Vice Chancellor Ravindra Kumar said that regulations for conducting programmes online should be considered on a priority basis. A lot has changed in the past many years and we need to embrace technology in education too. He also said that they can use their study centres where online exams can be conducted, which will bring in greater transparency too. UGC should come out with regulations for online exams soon. IGNOU has never conducted any online examination.