GUWAHATI, July 5 - In the backdrop of students having a tough time this year to get admitted into the conventional colleges with limited seats for various UG courses, the Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University (KKHSOU) today observed that distance education can ensure that students are not deprived of higher education.
Addressing mediapersons here, KKHSOU Vice Chancellor Dr Hitesh Deka said that the improved pass percentage in the Higher Secondary examinations 2016 conducted by the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council has given a big boost to the education segment, but has also left many students desperately running from one college to another to get admission.
The HS results this year reflected a higher pass percentage in the graph than last year. While the Arts stream recorded a pass percentage of 79.92, the pass percentages in Commerce and Science were 86.01 and 90.96 respectively. In 2015, the pass percentages were 74.07 (Arts), 81.82 (Commerce) and 86.76 (Science).
�A large number of students who have passed the HS examinations are facing problems because of limited seats in the conventional colleges. We feel that a candidate who may be deprived of a seat in a conventional college for pursuing UG programme should not be deprived of higher education,� said Dr Deka, adding that distance education and degree offered by KKHSOU is at par with that of another UGC-recognised conventional university.
Dr Deka said the dream of pursuing higher education which everyone harbours can be realised if people change their mindset about distance education. �People think that degrees offered by us may not help them in competing with others getting their degrees from a conventional university. This is totally wrong. Our degrees are at par with those of any conventional university and students passing out of our university have fared well in professional life and this year a student even cleared the ACS,� said Dr Deka.
It needs to be mentioned that more than sixty thousand students have so far passed out of this university and more than one lakh have been enrolled through its 351 accredited study centres spread across the State.
�Our university has been able to cater to the needs of the marginalised and deprived sections by providing higher education at a cost which is much lower than that of the conventional system and we are providing education free of cost to the differently-abled, jail inmates and kin of security personnel killed in extremist violence,� informed Dr Deka.
