Page 545 - Compendium of UGC Regulations 1957-2023

Regulations pertaining to Credits, Academic Programmes and Award of Degrees:

17. Learner Support Centre for Open and Distance Learning.─ (1) A Higher Educational
Institution offering programme in Open and Distance Learning mode shall, ensure that a
Learner Support Centre is established as per Annexure-VIII only in a college or institution
affiliated to a University or in a Government recognised Higher Educational Institution
offering programmes in the same broad areas having the necessary infrastructure and human
resources for offering the programme:

Provided that a Learner Support Centre defined under these regulations shall not be the
Learner Support Centre for more than two Higher Educational Institutions at a time to offer
programmes in Open and Distance Learning mode:
Provided further that a Learner Support Centre of a State University should be in the same
state in which the State University has been established:
Provided also that a Higher Educational Institution may establish a special Learner Support
Centre for imparting instruction to persons referred to in the Persons with Disabilities (Equal
Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, the National Trust for
Welfare of Persons with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Mental Retardation and Multiple Disability
Act, 1999 and other persons in difficult circumstances, including jail inmates:
Provided also that a Learner Support Centre shall not be set up under a franchisee agreement
in any case.
(2) A Learner Support Centre shall be the contact point or centre managed by the Higher
Educational Institution for providing academic as well as administrative support to its
learners and shall perform such other functions as specified in Annexure-VIII.

(3) The Learner Support Centre shall be headed by a Coordinator who shall be a regular
teacher not below the rank of a qualified Assistant Professor of the concerned College
or Higher Educational Institution and assisted by the counsellors as decided by the
Higher Educational Institution.
(4) The Higher Educational Institution shall have a Standard Operating Procedure for the
smooth functioning of the Learner Support Centre which shall include functions of
the Learner Support Centres and its different functionaries, monitoring mechanism of
different services provided by the Centre, and it shall be mandatory for the Learner
Support Centre to maintain the learner data related to conduct of counselling sessions,
evaluation of assignments and grievance redressal.

18. Learner Support Services.─ (1) A Higher Educational Institution offering programmes
in Open and Distance Learning mode and/or Online mode shall have guidelines for learner
support services which is made available to all the Co- ordinators/ Counsellors/ Mentors and
is accessible to the learners.
(2) The learner support services to be provided by the Higher Educational Institution shall
include broadly the following, namely:-
(i) pre-admission counselling for prospective learners to provide information to
facilitate them in taking an informed decision on joining a specific programme;
(ii) support for admission related matters;
(iii) details of study material and information shall also be available on the website of
the Higher Educational Institution;

(iv) arrangement to ensure the delivery of self learning material to learners for ODL
programmes as defined in Annexure-VI and Annexure-VII within a fortnight
from the date of admission and in addition, the Higher Educational Institution may
provide additional learning resources through on-line mode,Compact Disks etc.;
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UGC Regulations