Chandigarh: The recent notification by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for banning MPhil and PhD programmes through distance education mode has created havoc in the universities of Haryana.

The ban has been raised for universities, deemed to be a university, college, institutions of national importance.

The ban has come as a blow to Chaudhary Devi Lal University (CDLU), Sirsa, in particular, as it will lose nearly half of its students in the distance education programme due to the notification issued by the UGC.

The ban came into effect on June 1, 2009, the same day it was notified in the gazette.

Although, CDLU was not conducting PhD programme through distance education mode its MPhil programme was a rage amongst students from different parts of the nation.

Even PhD programmes were conducted by some private universities in the state through distance education.

CDLU introduced the concept of MPhil through distance education mode in 2006-07, and admitted more than 8000 students in the same category with more than 16 subjects that year.

Science subjects, which require practical training was a part of distance education that year.

However, from the next academic year the number of seats got regulated to 200 per subject and MPhil restricted to six subjects - Management, Commerce, English, Economics, Computer Science and Education by the university.

In spite of decrease in the number of students, MPhil students form the largest chunk in distance education.

Out of 2200 students in distance education 1200 alone belonged to the MPhil Programme.

Even other universities of the state have a large number of MPhil students in their distance education programme.

The inclination towards MPhil through distance education increased after the UGC exempted the condition of NET for these candidates for the appointment of university teachers.

"The university was in the process of erasing these courses from the prospectus and the draft for the handbook of information (HBI) was ready but now we have to redesign our HBI," said Prof. Sultan Singh, Director of Distance Education, CDLU.