Srinagar, Jun 13: Readymade projects and assignments in many courses are costlier than the admission fee in Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) regional centre Srinagar, as the ‘touts’ in the centres are allegedly misleading the students to get those handy materials.
Students of the academia allege that the officials (touts) in the regional centre are advising them to get the readymade material of their projects which is costlier than the admission saying, “rather than guiding the students, we are being asked to spend a hefty amount for the pre-cooked projects.”
One of the students wishing anonymity told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that he was pursuing Post-graduate Diploma in Rural Development (PGDRD) of which admission fee is just Rs 2700.
“While the admission fee for the PGDRD course is just around Rs 2500, the touts in the regional centre asked me to pay Rs 7,000 to get ready-made material for my projects,” he said.
Another student, Javed Mushtaq (Name Changed) said that he is pursuing masters’ degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS) of which admission fee is Rs 9,000 in IGNOU,
“However, the concerned authorities in the study centre rather than advising me to complete projects on my own—they work as touts as they suggest me to get ready-made project material at a cost of Rs 6,000,” Mushtaq said.
Apart from project material, the mandatory assignments are also being sold outside almost all study centres and the officials at various IGNOU study centres are approving mandatory Tutor Marked Assignment (TMA) which every student is supposed to write in their own words.
In many masters’ courses, the IGNOU authority has said that the students are importantly supposed to write the answers to all the TMA questions in their own words.
KNO has further learnt that the readymade projects for different courses costs at an average of Rs 6-8 thousand rupees.
However, the readymade assignment of all courses costs Rs 50 per subject and Rs 200-250 for all subjects of one year.
According to the students, the courses of which projects cost Rs 6-8,000 includes Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) which have admission fee Rs 9,000; Master of Business Administration (MBA) have fee Rs 35,000; Master of Computer Applications (MCA) have Rs 64800; Master of Tourism & Travel Management Rs (MTTM) have Rs 9000; Master of Education (Med) has Rs 36,000 and Post-graduate Diploma in Rural Development (PGDRD) have Rs 2700. (Cost of the programmes may be updated).
IGNOU officials said, “The students first of all have to submit the synopsis wherein they submit the title of their project. Even, the projects are to be made by the students only then why would they purchase it from the market.”
“I don’t think that any of the officials are advising students to get the readymade material,” the official said.
He said that IGNOU is known for two things all over the world, “One is study material and the examination system of IGNOU which is always conducted on schedule. I don’t think it is practicable and advisable that any faculty members will ask students to purchase ready-made study material.”—(KNO)
