In pursuance to the announcement of 100 days agenda of HRD of ministry by Hon’ble Human Sources improvement Minister, a New Policy on Distance Understanding In Higher 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 greater education for investigation, and scientific and technical institutions. Parliament has enacted laws for discharging this responsibility by means of: the University Grants Commission (UGC) for basic Larger Education, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for Technical Education and other Statutory bodies for other disciplines. As regards higher education, via the distance mode, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Act, 1985 was enacted with the following two prime objectives, among other individuals: (a) To offer possibilities for larger education to a huge segment of population, in particular disadvantaged groups living in remote and rural areas, adults, housewives and operating individuals 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 by way of distance mode in India, goes way back when the universities began providing education through distance mode in the name of Correspondence Courses via their Directorate/School of Correspondence Education. In these days, the courses in humanities and/or in commerce had been supplied by means of correspondence and taken by these, who, owing to numerous motives, including restricted number of seats in common courses, employability, troubles of access to the institutions of larger studying and so forth., could not get themselves enrolled in the conventional `face-to-face’ mode `in-class’ programmes.
3. In the current previous, the demand for higher education has increased enormously all through the nation for the reason that of awareness about the significance of greater education, whereas the method of higher education could not accommodate this ever growing demand.
4. Below the circumstances, a quantity 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 circumstance by supplying distance education programmes in a significant quantity of disciplines, ranging from humanities to engineering and management and so on., and at diverse levels (certificate to beneath-graduate and post-graduate degrees). There is constantly a danger that some of these institutions may perhaps become `degree mills’ offering sub- common/poor high quality education, consequently eroding the credibility of degrees and other qualifications awarded by means of the distance mode. This calls for a far greater degree of coordination among the concerned statutory authorities, mostly, 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 1.3.1995.
six. Despite the dangers referred to in para four above, the significance of distance education in offering quality education and training can not be ignored. Professional Year of education has an crucial role for:
(i)offering chance of studying to these, who do not have direct access to face to face teaching, functioning persons, home-wives etc.
(ii)supplying opportunity to working experts to update their understanding, enabling them to switchover to new disciplines and professions and enhancing their qualifications for career advancement.
(iii)exploiting the prospective of Information and facts and Communication Technology (ICT) in the teaching and understanding procedure and
(iv)reaching the target of 15% of GER by the end of 11th Strategy and 20% by the finish of 12th 5 year Program.
7. In order to discharge the Constitutional responsibility of determination and upkeep of the standards in Larger Education, by ensuring coordination among several statutory regulatory authorities as also to make certain the promotion of open and distance education system in the nation to meet the aspirations of all cross-sections of people today for larger education, the following policy in respect of distance finding out is laid down:
(a) In order to make certain suitable coordination in regulation of requirements of larger education in unique disciplines via numerous modes [i.e. face to face and distance] as also to make sure credibility of degrees/diploma and certificates awarded by Indian Universities and other Education Institutes, an apex body, namely, National Commission for Larger 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 the said Commission, shall undertake the job of coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of education through the distance mode. Pending establishment of this body:
(i) Only these programmes, which do not involve comprehensive practical course function, shall be permissible through the distance mode.
(ii) Universities / institutions shall frame ordinances / regulations / guidelines, as the case could be, spelling out the outline of the programmes to be provided by means of the distance mode indicating the number of necessary credits, list of courses with assigned credits, reading references in addition to self mastering material, hours of study, contact classes at study centres, assignments, examination and evaluation procedure, grading and so forth.
(iii) DEC of IGNOU shall only assess the competence of university/institute in respect of conducting distance education programmes by a team of authorities, whose report shall be placed prior to the Council of DEC for consideration.
(iv) The approval shall be provided only immediately after consideration by Council of DEC and not by Chairperson, DEC. For the objective, minimum quantity of mandatory meetings of DEC may be prescribed.
(v) AICTE would be directed under section 20 (1) of AICTE Act 1987 to make sure accreditation of the programmes in Personal computer Sciences, Data Technologies and Management purposed to be offered by an institute/university by means of 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 several programmes/courses, presented by means of the distance mode below their mandate,
