In pursuance to the announcement of one hundred days agenda of HRD of ministry by Hon’ble Human Resources development Minister, a New Policy on Distance Understanding 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 requirements in institutions for larger education for investigation, and scientific and technical institutions. Parliament has enacted laws for discharging this duty via: the University Grants Commission (UGC) for common Greater 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 individuals: (a) To offer possibilities for larger education to a big segment of population, in particular disadvantaged groups living in remote and rural regions, adults, housewives and functioning folks 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.
two. The history of distance understanding or education by means of distance mode in India, goes way back when the universities began offering education through distance mode in the name of Correspondence Courses by means of their Directorate/School of Correspondence Education. In those days, the courses in humanities and/or in commerce have been provided through correspondence and taken by these, who, owing to many causes, which includes restricted quantity of seats in normal courses, employability, issues 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 recent previous, the demand for greater education has elevated enormously all through the country simply because of awareness about the significance of larger education, whereas the program of larger education could not accommodate this ever rising demand.
4. Below 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 began cashing on the situation by offering distance education programmes in a big number of disciplines, ranging from humanities to engineering and management and so on., and at unique levels (certificate to beneath-graduate and post-graduate degrees). There is usually a danger that some of these institutions may become `degree mills’ providing sub- typical/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 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 via the distance mode, for employment under it vide Gazette Notification No. 44 dated 1.three.1995.
six. In spite of the risks referred to in para four above, the significance of distance education in delivering quality education and training cannot be ignored. Distance Mode of education has an crucial role for:
(i)providing opportunity of studying to those, who do not have direct access to face to face teaching, operating persons, home-wives and so on.
( 加拿大入學 )delivering opportunity to functioning experts to update their knowledge, enabling them to switchover to new disciplines and professions and enhancing their qualifications for career advancement.
(iii)exploiting the possible of Data and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the teaching and understanding course of action and
(iv)achieving the target of 15% of GER by the finish of 11th Program and 20% by the end of 12th five year Program.
7. In order to discharge the Constitutional responsibility of determination and upkeep of the requirements in Larger Education, by making certain coordination among a variety of statutory regulatory authorities as also to make certain the promotion of open and distance education method in the country to meet the aspirations of all cross-sections of persons for higher education, the following policy in respect of distance studying is laid down:
(a) In order to guarantee correct coordination in regulation of standards of higher education in distinctive disciplines through many modes [i.e. face to face and distance] as also to ensure credibility of degrees/diploma and certificates awarded by Indian Universities and other Education Institutes, an apex physique, namely, National Commission for Higher Education and Analysis 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 said Commission, shall undertake the job of coordination, determination and upkeep of standards of education through the distance mode. Pending establishment of this physique:
(i) Only those programmes, which do not involve extensive sensible course perform, shall be permissible via 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 supplied by way of the distance mode indicating the quantity of required credits, list of courses with assigned credits, reading references in addition to self studying material, hours of study, speak to classes at study centres, assignments, examination and evaluation procedure, 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 professionals, whose report shall be placed just before the Council of DEC for consideration.
(iv) The approval shall be offered only soon after consideration by Council of DEC and not by Chairperson, DEC. For the goal, minimum number of mandatory meetings of DEC may be prescribed.
(v) AICTE would be directed below section 20 (1) of AICTE Act 1987 to ensure accreditation of the programmes in Laptop or computer Sciences, Info Technologies and Management purposed to be offered by an institute/university via the distance mode, by National Board of Accreditation (NBA).
(vi) UGC and AICTE would be directed below section 20 (1) of their respective Acts to frame detailed regulations prescribing requirements for many programmes/courses, supplied via the distance mode beneath their mandate,