Degree row: FDDI suspends classes till Oct 16

Amid protest by students regarding their degrees, Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) has decided to suspend classes in all its centres across the country till October 16.
FDDI comes under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and is considered a premier institution for training in the field of leather products, footwear, fashion, design and retail.
The institute has also asked the students to vacate the hostels at the earliest.
"In view of the violent protest registered by some of the students at FDDI and in order to safeguard the government property and security of other students at all the FDDI campuses across India, it (has been) decided that the classes for all the programmes will be suspended till October 16," the institute said in a notice.

FDDI mess will also be closed with immediate effect and will open on the day of commencement of regular classes, it said.
The students are demanding that they should be granted a degree from a regular university and not from IGNOU.

The issue cropped up after the University Grants Commission (UGC) declared that Mewar University cannot award the degree to FDDI students.
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) used to grant degrees for all courses at the institute, but it discontinued the same in 2012 academic session even as 1,250 students were enrolled for various graduate and post-graduate programmes.

FDDI roped in Mewar University of Rajasthan to offer degree programmes from academic session 2012. However, UGC in September 2014 raised questions on the MoU between FDDI and Mewar University for grant of degree to FDDI students registered for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014 in light of the AICTE's non-recognition of these degrees.
Amid concerns being raised by students and their parents, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said the issue is being sorted out with co-operation from Minister of Human Resources and Development Smriti Irani.
But students are alleging that the government is not doing anything to reolve the issue.