HC: distance degree holders can’t be faculty

‘They are for furthering job prospects’

Observing that degrees through distance education are invariably earned only for furthering job prospects in the employment market, the Madras High Court has ruled that such degree holders cannot be considered for faculty positions in higher educational institutions. Second Division Bench of Justices N. Kirubakaran and V. Parthiban said the distance education mode might have become a social imperative, considering the lack of access to regular education for a vast majority of the disadvantaged class, yet in the larger interest of higher education, such degree holders could not be considered for faculty positions. “The quality of education can be measured through the type of teachers appointed to handle academics. Persons with no experience in campus life, having not studied and earned their degrees in regular institutions/colleges, may not have experienced institutional academic culture and may not match the expectations of the present generation of students,” the Bench said.