NEW POLICY ON DISTANCE LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR
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NEW POLICY ON DISTANCE LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR
In pursurance to a nnouncement of 100 days bulletin of HRD of method by Hon’ble Human Recourses growth Minister ,New Policy upon Distance LearningIn Higher Education Sector was drafted
BACKGROUND
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 ininstitutions for higher education for research, and scientific and technical institutions.Parliament has enacted laws for discharging this responsibility through : a University GrantsCommission (UGC) for general Higher 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 a following dual budding objectives, between others:
(a)to provide opportunities for higher education to a large segment of population,especially disadvantaged groups living in remote and rural areas, adults, housewivesand operative people; and
(b)to encourage Open University and Distance Education Systems in the educational
pattern of a country and to coordinate as well as establish a standards in such systems.
2. The history of distance learning or preparation through distance mode in India, goes
way behind when a universities proposed offering preparation by distance mode in a name
of Correspondence Courses through their Directorate/School of Correspondence Education.
In those days, the courses in humanities and/or in commerce were offered through
correspondence and taken by those, who, owing to various reasons, including singular number of seats in regular courses, employability, problems of access to the institutions of
higher learning etc., could not get themselves enrolled in the conventional `face-to-face’
mode `in-class’ programmes.
3. In the recent past, the demand for higher education has increased enormously
throughout the country because of awareness about the significance of higher education,
whereas a system of aloft education could not house this ever augmenting demand.
4. Under 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 situation by offering distance
education programmes in a large number of disciplines, ranging from humanities to
engineering and management etc., and at different levels (certificate to under-graduate and
post-graduate degrees). There is regularly a risk which a little of these institutions may become
`degree mills’ offering sub- standard/poor quality education, consequently eroding the
credibility of degrees and other qualifications awarded through the distance mode. This calls
for a far higher degree of coordination among the concerned statutory authorities, primarily,
UGC, AICTE as well as IGNOU as well as a management – the Distance Education Council (DEC).
5. Government of India had clarified its position in respect of recognition of degrees,
earned through the distance mode, for employment under it vide Gazette Notification No. 44
dated 1.3.1995.
6. Despite the risks referred to in para 4 above, the significance of distance education in
providing quality preparation and training cannot be ignored. Distance Mode of education has
an critical role for :
(i)providing opportunity of learning to those, who do not have direct access to
face to face teaching, operative persons, house-wives etc.
(ii)providing opportunity to working professionals to update their knowledge,
enabling them to switchover to new disciplines as well as professions and enhancing
their preparation for career advancement.
(iii)exploiting a intensity of Information as well as Communication Technology (ICT) in
the training as well as guidance process; and
(iv)achieving a aim of 15% of GER by the finish of 11th Plan and 20% by a end
of 12th 5 year Plan.
7. In order to discharge the Constitutional responsibility of determination and
maintenance of the standards in Higher Education, by ensuring coordination among various
statutory regulatory authorities as also to ensure the promotion of open and distance
education system in the country to meet the aspirations of all cross-sections of people for
higher education, the following routine in respect of stretch guidance is laid down:-
(a) In order to ensure proper coordination in regulation of standards of aloft education
in opposite disciplines by various modes [i.e. face to face and distance] as additionally to ensure
credibility of degrees/diploma and certificates awarded by Indian Universities and other
Education Institutes, an apex body, namely, National Commission for Higher Education and
Research shall be established in line with the recommendations of Prof. Yash Pal
Committee/National Knowledge Commission. A Standing Committee on Open and Distance
Education of a pronounced Commission, shall commence the pursuit of coordination, determination and
maintenance of standards of preparation by a stretch mode. Pending investiture of
this body:
(i) Only those programmes, which do not involve extensive practical course work,
shall be permissible by a stretch mode.
(ii) Universities / institutions shall frame ordinances / regulations / rules, as the
case may be, spelling out the outline of the programmes to be offered
through the distance mode indicating the number of required credits, list of
courses with assigned credits, reading references in addition to self learning
material, hours of study, contact classes at study centres, assignments,
examination and analysis process, grading etc.
(iii) DEC of IGNOU shall only assess the competence of university/institute in
respect of conducting distance education programmes by a team of experts,
whose inform shall be placed prior to a Council of DEC for consideration.
(iv) The approval shall be given only after consideration by Council of DEC as well as not
by Chairperson, DEC. For the purpose, minimum number of mandatory
meetings of DEC might be prescribed.
(v) AICTE would be directed under section 20 (1) of AICTE Act 1987 to ensure
accreditation of the programmes in Computer Sciences, Information
Technology and Management purposed to be offered by an
institute/university through the distance mode, by National Board of
Accreditation (NBA).
(vi) UGC and AICTE would be directed under territory 20 (1) of their particular Acts
to frame detailed regulations prescribing standards for various
programmes/courses, offered through the stretch mode under their mandate,
(vii) No university/institute, except the universities established by or under an Act
of Parliament/State Legislature before 1985, shall offer any programme
through the distance mode, henceforth, without approval from DEC and
accreditation by NBA. However, the universities/institutions already offering
programmes in Humanities, Commerce/Business/Social Sciences/Computer
Sciences and Information Technology and Management, may be allowed to
continue, subject to the condition to obtain fresh approval from DEC and
accreditation from NBA within one year, failing which they shall have to
discontinue the programme and the entire onus with respect to the academic
career and financial waste of the students enrolled with them, shall be on such
institutions/universities.
(viii) In light of observation of Apex Court, ex-post-facto approval granted by any
authority for distance education shall not be
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