HYDERABAD: The AP State Council of Higher Education on Tuesday clarified that the degrees awarded for courses offered through distance mode by the deemed universities without the letter of approval jointly signed by the UGC secretary, AICTE member-secretary and Director, Centre for Distance Education, were not valid for academic and employment purposes.

M. D. Christopher, secretary of the council, said in a press release that it was issuing the clarification in response to letters received from various government departments, universities and managements on recognition of degrees awarded by the deemed universities for courses through distance mode.

He referred to the High Court’s judgment of December 2 which stated that ‘only such courses imparted by the deemed universities through distance mode, as are approved under the letter jointly signed by the secretary, UGC, member-secretary, AICTE, and director CDE or by any independent authority under the relevant enactment conferred with the power to grant approval prospectively, shall be treated as legal and valid’.