New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS): The UGC will now direct universities offering open distance learning (ODL) outside their territorial jurisdiction to transfer all the students to the state open university in that jurisdiction.

However, in the absence of such state universities, the students should be transferred to the nearby Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) centre, the University Grants Commission has suggested.

The alternative has been suggested as some varsities flout norms by admitting students through franchise tie-ups with centres outside their territorial jurisdiction.

As a one-time compassionate reprieve to the students enrolled under open and distance learning mode, the UGC - the regulator of higher educationm in India - has suggested the alternative proposal which will be taken up during the commission's next meeting.

"Universities which are offering ODL programme through study centres franchise located outside their territorial jurisdiction may be issued policy directive to transfer all the students admitted in such centres to the state open university under whose jurisdiction these centres are located," the UGC has said in a letter that would be taken up at its forthoming meeting.

It is the alternative proposed to check mushrooming of unauthorised study centres through ODL system in universities.

The letter mentions: "If the study centres/franchise of the university is located in the state where there is no state open university, then the students of such centres be transferred to the centre of IGNOU located at nearby place."

Earlier too, the commission had issued such circular, which stated that any university which is established under a state Act can operate only within the territorial jurisdiction allotted to it under its Act and in no case beyond the territory of the state of its location.

No university, whether central, state or deemed one, can offer its programmes through its franchise, it had said.