In pursuance to the announcement of 100 days agenda of HRD of ministry by Hon’ble Human Resources development Minister, a New Policy on Distance Learning In Higher Education Sector was drafted.
BACKGROUND
1. In catholic charities az of Entry 66 of List 1 of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India, Parliament is competent to make laws for the coordination and determination of standards in institutions for greater education for research, and scientific and technical institutions. Parliament has enacted laws for discharging this responsibility via: the University Grants Commission (UGC) for general Larger Education, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for Technical Education and other Statutory bodies for other disciplines. As regards higher education, through the distance mode, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Act, 1985 was enacted with the following two prime objectives, amongst other folks: (a) To present opportunities for higher education to a massive segment of population, specifically disadvantaged groups living in remote and rural places, adults, housewives and functioning men and women and (b) to encourage Open University and Distance Education Systems in the educational pattern of the country and to coordinate and determine the standards in such systems.
2. The history of distance mastering or education through distance mode in India, goes way back when the universities began providing education by way of distance mode in the name of Correspondence Courses through their Directorate/School of Correspondence Education. In these days, the courses in humanities and/or in commerce were presented through correspondence and taken by those, who, owing to numerous motives, including limited quantity of seats in normal courses, employability, troubles of access to the institutions of larger mastering etc., could not get themselves enrolled in the conventional `face-to-face’ mode `in-class’ programmes.
3. In the recent past, the demand for larger education has enhanced enormously throughout the country because of awareness about the significance of larger education, whereas the technique of higher education could not accommodate this ever escalating demand.
four. Beneath the circumstances, a number of institutions including deemed universities, private universities, public (Government) universities and even other institutions, which are not empowered to award degrees, have started cashing on the predicament by offering distance education programmes in a massive number of disciplines, ranging from humanities to engineering and management etc., and at various levels (certificate to below-graduate and post-graduate degrees). There is usually a danger that some of these institutions could become `degree mills’ offering sub- regular/poor high-quality education, consequently eroding the credibility of degrees and other qualifications awarded through the distance mode. This calls for a far larger degree of coordination among the concerned statutory authorities, mainly, UGC, AICTE and IGNOU and its authority – the Distance Education Council (DEC).
five. Government of India had clarified its position in respect of recognition of degrees, earned by means of the distance mode, for employment under it vide Gazette Notification No. 44 dated 1.three.1995.
6. Despite the risks referred to in para four above, the significance of distance education in supplying top quality education and instruction can not be ignored. Distance Mode of education has an critical part for:
(i)offering opportunity of finding out to these, who do not have direct access to face to face teaching, operating persons, residence-wives etc.
(ii)delivering opportunity to operating specialists to update their expertise, enabling them to switchover to new disciplines and professions and enhancing their qualifications for profession advancement.
(iii)exploiting the prospective of Info and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the teaching and learning process and
(iv)reaching the target of 15% of GER by the finish of 11th Strategy and 20% by the end of 12th 5 year Strategy.
7. In order to discharge the Constitutional responsibility of determination and upkeep of the requirements in Greater Education, by guaranteeing coordination among a variety of statutory regulatory authorities as also to make certain the promotion of open and distance education program in the country to meet the aspirations of all cross-sections of people for greater education, the following policy in respect of distance learning is laid down:
(a) In order to make certain appropriate coordination in regulation of requirements of larger education in distinctive disciplines through many modes [i.e. face to face and distance] as also to make certain credibility of degrees/diploma and certificates awarded by Indian Universities and other Education Institutes, an apex physique, namely, National Commission for Greater Education and Study shall be established in line with the suggestions of Prof. Yash Pal Committee/National Know-how Commission. A Standing Committee on Open and Distance
Education of the stated Commission, shall undertake the job of coordination, determination and maintenance of requirements of education by way of the distance mode. Pending establishment of this physique:
(i) Only those programmes, which do not involve substantial sensible course work, shall be permissible by way of the distance mode.
(ii) Universities / institutions shall frame ordinances / regulations / guidelines, as the case may well be, spelling out the outline of the programmes to be offered by means of the distance mode indicating the quantity of needed credits, list of courses with assigned credits, reading references in addition to self learning material, hours of study, make contact with classes at study centres, assignments, examination and evaluation method, grading etc.
(iii) DEC of IGNOU shall only assess the competence of university/institute in respect of conducting distance education programmes by a group of specialists, whose report shall be placed prior to the Council of DEC for consideration.
(iv) The approval shall be offered only right after consideration by Council of DEC and not by Chairperson, DEC. For the goal, minimum quantity of mandatory meetings of DEC may be prescribed.
(v) AICTE would be directed beneath section 20 (1) of AICTE Act 1987 to assure accreditation of the programmes in Laptop or computer Sciences, Facts Technology and Management purposed to be supplied by an institute/university via the distance mode, by National Board of Accreditation (NBA).
(vi) UGC and AICTE would be directed beneath section 20 (1) of their respective Acts to frame detailed regulations prescribing requirements for several programmes/courses, provided through the distance mode beneath their mandate,