In pursuance to the announcement of 100 days agenda of HRD of ministry by Hon’ble Human Sources development Minister, a New Policy on Distance Learning In Larger Education Sector was drafted.
BACKGROUND
1. In terms 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 larger education for study, and scientific and technical institutions. Future of Education Technology has enacted laws for discharging this duty via: the University Grants Commission (UGC) for basic Higher Education, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for Technical Education and other Statutory bodies for other disciplines. As regards larger education, through the distance mode, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Act, 1985 was enacted with the following two prime objectives, amongst others: (a) To provide possibilities for greater education to a big segment of population, in particular disadvantaged groups living in remote and rural regions, adults, housewives and working men and women and (b) to encourage Open University and Distance Education Systems in the educational pattern of the country and to coordinate and figure out the requirements in such systems.
two. The history of distance finding out 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 by means of their Directorate/College of Correspondence Education. In these days, the courses in humanities and/or in commerce have been offered by means of correspondence and taken by these, who, owing to various motives, including restricted number of seats in normal courses, employability, challenges of access to the institutions of greater mastering and so on., could not get themselves enrolled in the conventional `face-to-face’ mode `in-class’ programmes.
3. In the current past, the demand for higher education has elevated enormously all through the nation because of awareness about the significance of greater education, whereas the program of greater education could not accommodate this ever escalating demand.
4. Beneath the circumstances, a number of institutions like deemed universities, private universities, public (Government) universities and even other institutions, which are not empowered to award degrees, have started cashing on the circumstance by providing distance education programmes in a significant quantity of disciplines, ranging from humanities to engineering and management etc., and at distinct levels (certificate to below-graduate and post-graduate degrees). There is often a danger that some of these institutions may well develop into `degree mills’ providing sub- standard/poor quality education, consequently eroding the credibility of degrees and other qualifications awarded via the distance mode. This calls for a far larger degree of coordination amongst the concerned statutory authorities, mainly, UGC, AICTE and IGNOU and its authority – the Distance Education Council (DEC).
5. Government of India had clarified its position in respect of recognition of degrees, earned via the distance mode, for employment beneath it vide Gazette Notification No. 44 dated 1.three.1995.
6. Despite the dangers referred to in para 4 above, the significance of distance education in delivering good quality education and education can not be ignored. Distance Mode of education has an vital role for:
(i)offering opportunity of learning to these, who do not have direct access to face to face teaching, functioning persons, house-wives and so on.
(ii)offering chance to working professionals to update their information, enabling them to switchover to new disciplines and professions and enhancing their qualifications for career advancement.
(iii)exploiting the possible of Information and facts and Communication Technology (ICT) in the teaching and understanding process and
(iv)achieving the target of 15% of GER by the end of 11th Strategy and 20% by the end of 12th five year Strategy.
7. In order to discharge the Constitutional duty of determination and maintenance of the requirements in Larger Education, by guaranteeing coordination among various statutory regulatory authorities as also to assure the promotion of open and distance education method in the nation to meet the aspirations of all cross-sections of persons for higher education, the following policy in respect of distance finding out is laid down:
(a) In order to guarantee proper coordination in regulation of requirements of larger education in distinctive disciplines via several modes [i.e. face to face and distance] as also to assure credibility of degrees/diploma and certificates awarded by Indian Universities and other Education Institutes, an apex body, namely, National Commission for Greater Education and Investigation shall be established in line with the recommendations of Prof. Yash Pal Committee/National Expertise Commission. A Standing Committee on Open and Distance
Education of the mentioned Commission, shall undertake the job of coordination, determination and upkeep of standards of education by way of the distance mode. Pending establishment of this body:
(i) Only those programmes, which do not involve comprehensive practical course perform, shall be permissible through the distance mode.
(ii) Universities / institutions shall frame ordinances / regulations / guidelines, as the case may perhaps be, spelling out the outline of the programmes to be supplied by means of the distance mode indicating the number of essential credits, list of courses with assigned credits, reading references in addition to self learning material, hours of study, speak to classes at study centres, assignments, examination and evaluation process, 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 before the Council of DEC for consideration.
(iv) The approval shall be provided only just after consideration by Council of DEC and not by Chairperson, DEC. For the goal, minimum number of mandatory meetings of DEC could be prescribed.
(v) AICTE would be directed under section 20 (1) of AICTE Act 1987 to assure accreditation of the programmes in Laptop or computer Sciences, Information and facts Technology and Management purposed to be supplied by an institute/university through the distance mode, by National Board of Accreditation (NBA).
(vi) UGC and AICTE would be directed under section 20 (1) of their respective Acts to frame detailed regulations prescribing requirements for numerous programmes/courses, offered through the distance mode under their mandate,