Port Blair, Aug 22(UNI) The Directorate of Distance Education under the Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) has introduced Pre-degree Course in English and Tamil Medium in Andaman and Nicobar (A&N) Islands for the benefit of the students who were denied proper education at their young age.

This was the first time that a university was offering a pre-degree course for students of the Islands, Programme Officer of MKU K N Suresh said here yesterday, adding the purpose of the introductory course was to help in continuing their education.

Mr Suresh told newspersons that examinations would be conducted for the pre-foundation course.

Candidates will become the students of the Foundation Course II year after completing their first year Foundation Course.

Thereafter, the students could join degree courses, he added.

The courses offered by the MKU are one-year Introductory Course, one-year Pre-Foundation Course and two-year Foundation Course.

Altogether 178 students have appeared in various courses from the MKU Centre of Port Blair, since its inception last year, including 70 odd M Phil students.

'' The centre has a pass percentage of over 80 per cent in the programme, '' the officer added.

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