New Policy On Distance Learning In Higher Education Sector

In pursuance of the announcement of a hundred days schedule of HRD of ministry through Hon’ble Human Resources improvement Minister, a New Policy On Distance Learning In Higher Education Sector changed into the draft.

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BACKGROUND

1. In terms of Entry 66 of List 1 of the Seventh Schedule to India’s Constitution, Parliament is capable of making laws for the coordination and backbone of standards in establishments for higher education for studies and scientific and technical institutions. Parliament has enacted legal guidelines for discharging this obligation through the University Grants Commission (UGC) for widespread Higher Education, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for Technical Education, and different Statutory bodies for other disciplines. As regards higher training, thru the space mode, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Act, 1985 was enacted with the subsequent prime goals, among others: (a) To offer possibilities for better schooling to a big phase of population, specifically disadvantaged agencies dwelling in far off and rural regions, adults, homemakers and working human beings; and (b) to inspire Open University and Distance Education Systems in the instructional sample of the United States of America and to coordinate and decide the requirements in such structures.

2. The history of distance learning or education via distance mode in India is going way lower back whilst the colleges started out imparting schooling via distance mode within the name of Correspondence Courses through their Directorate/School of Correspondence Education. In those days, the publications in humanities and/or in commerce had been presented via correspondence and brought via the ones, who, due to diverse motives, including a restrained variety of seats in ordinary courses, employability, problems of getting admission to to the institutions of better-gaining knowledge of and many others., couldn’t get themselves enrolled within the traditional `face-to-face’ mode `in-magnificence’ programs.

3. In the recent beyond, the demand for better education has expanded quite in the course of u. S. Due to the focus on the significance of better schooling. In contrast, the machine of higher education couldn’t accommodate this ever-increasing call.

4. Under the circumstances, some institutions along with deemed universities, personal universities, public (Government) universities, or even other establishments, which aren’t empowered to award stages, have begun cashing on the scenario by using presenting distance training programs in a huge variety of disciplines, ranging from humanities to engineering and management and so on., and at distinct ranges (certificate to underneath-graduate and post-graduate degrees). There is constantly a chance that a number of those institutions may come to be `degree mills’ imparting sub- preferred/negative first-class schooling, consequently erode the credibility of levels and other qualifications awarded via the gap mode. This calls for a miles higher degree of coordination with many concerned statutory authorities, in most cases, UGC, AICTE, and IGNOU and its authority – the Distance Education Council (DEC).

5. Government of India had clarified its function in respect of recognition of ranges, earned via the gap mode, for employment underneath it vide Gazette Notification No. 44 dated 1.Three.1995.

6. Despite the risks mentioned in para 4 above, distance schooling’s importance in imparting pleasant schooling and training cannot be overlooked. Distance Mode of training has an essential position for:

(i)It will impart the possibility of gaining knowledge to those, who do not directly get entry to face to face teaching, working humans, house-better halves, and many others.
(ii)It offers the opportunity to run professionals to update their information, switch over to new disciplines and professions, and enhance their professional advancement qualifications.
(iii)exploiting the capacity of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the coaching and getting to know procedure; and
(iv)accomplishing the goal of 15% of GER by using the quit of eleventh Plan and 20% using the cease of 12th 5 12 months Plan.

7. To discharge the Constitutional responsibility of willpower and protection of the standards in Higher Education, with the aid of ensuring coordination amongst numerous statutory regulatory authorities and making certain the merchandising of open and distance training system inside u. S. A. To satisfy the aspirations of all pass-sections of human beings for better schooling, the subsequent coverage in respect of distance studying is laid down:

(a) To ensure proper coordination in the regulation of requirements of higher schooling in extraordinary disciplines thru diverse modes [i.E. Face to face and distance] as also to make certain credibility of stages/diploma and certificate offered through Indian Universities and other Education Institutes, an apex frame, particularly, National Commission for Higher Education and Research will be hooked up 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 adopt the task of coordination, willpower, and renovation of training requirements thru the space mode. Pending establishment of this body:

(i) Only those programs that do not involve considerable sensible course work shall be permissible through the distance mode.

(ii) Universities/institutions shall frame ordinances/rules/rules because the case can be spelling out the definition of the programs to be supplied through the space mode indicating the variety of required credit, a listing of courses with assigned credit, studying references in addition to self getting to know cloth, hours of study, contact training at having a look at centers, assignments, exam and assessment technique, grading and so forth.

(iii) DEC of IGNOU shall simplest investigate the university/institute’s competence to appreciate conducting distance education programs by way of a team of specialists, whose record shall be located earlier than the Council of DEC for attention.

(iv) The approval shall be given handiest after consideration by using Council of DEC and now not using Chairperson, DEC. For the motive, a minimum wide variety of obligatory conferences of DEC may be prescribed.

(v) AICTE could be directed under section 20 (1) of AICTE Act 1987 to make certain accreditation of the programs in Computer Sciences, Information Technology and Management purposed to be supplied by an institute/university through the space mode, using National Board of Accreditation (NBA).

(vi) UGC and AICTE could be directed under section 20 (1) in their respective Acts to frame special guidelines prescribing requirements for various programs/courses, provided via the distance mode beneath their mandate,

(vii) No college/institute, except the universities hooked up through or beneath an Act of Parliament/State Legislature before 1985, shall provide any program through the distance mode, henceforth, without approval from DEC and accreditation via NBA. However, the universities/establishments already presenting programs in Humanities, Commerce/Business/Social Sciences/Computer Sciences and Information Technology and Management may be allowed to maintain, situation to the condition to gain fresh approval from DEC and accreditation from NBA within 12 months, failing which they shall have to stop the program and the complete onus with appreciate to the educational career and financial losses of the students enrolled with them shall be on such institutions/universities.

(viii) In light of Apex Court’s statement, ex-submit-facto approval granted by using any authority for distance training shall no longer be honored and granted henceforth. However, the colleges hooked up through or beneath an Act of schooling programs inside the streams of Humanities/Commerce/Social Sciences before the 12 months 1991 will be excluded from this policy.

(ix) The students who have been awarded ranges via distance mode by using the universities without taking previous approval of DEC and other statutory our bodies, will be given one risk, supplied they fulfill the requirement of minimum requirements as prescribed by using the UGC, AICTE or another relevant Statutory Authority via Regulation, to seem in examinations in such papers as determined with the aid of the college precise to behavior the exam. If those students qualify in this examination, the college involved shall trouble a certificate. Together with the said qualifying certificates, the degree can be known for employment/advertising beneath Central Government.

(x) A explanation will be issued concerning Gazette Notification No. 44 dated 1.3.1995 that it shall not be applicable on to the levels/diplomas presented by using the universities hooked up through or below an Act of Parliament or State Legislature before 1985, within the streams of Humanities/Commerce and Social Sciences.

(xi) The coverage projects spelled out in succeeding paragraphs shall be similarly applicable to institutions imparting distance schooling/proceeding to provide distance training.

(b) All universities and establishments providing programs thru the distance mode shall need to have prior popularity/popularity of offering such programs and accreditation from certain in a position authority, mandatorily in respect of the programs presented by way of them. The violators of this shall be accountable for a suitable penalty as prescribed by regulation. The universities/establishments providing training through distance mode and observed involved in dishonest students/humans via giving wrong/false facts or wilfully suppressing the records shall additionally be handled strictly below the penal provisions of the regulation.

(c) The universities/institutes shall have their personal observe centers for face to face counseling and elimination of problems while seeking other instructional and administrative help. Franchising distance training via any university, establishments whether public or personal, shall now not be allowed.

(d ) The universities /establishments shall provide the most effective offer such programs through distance mode on their campuses through conventional mode. They shall always have the specified departments and faculties previous to providing applicable programs through distance mode in open universities.

(e) It would be mandatory for all universities and schooling establishments imparting distance education to apply Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the delivery of their programs, control of the scholar and college affairs via an internet portal, or any other such platform. The stated platform shall forever display in a public area the data approximately the statutory and other approvals together with other important facts about the programs on offer via distance mode, their accreditation and college students enrolled, yr- sensible, and many others. This may be related to a countrywide database, as and whilst created, to facilitate the stakeholders to recognize the levels for the cause of academic pursuit or employment with/underneath them.

(f) All universities/training establishments shall make the foremost use of e-getting to know contents for delivery/offering their programs via distance mode. They shall also be endorsed/required to adopt e-surveillance technology to conduct easy, honest, and obvious examinations.

(g) The attention of distance training will provide the possibility of training to people in educationally deprived situations, which includes living in far off and rural regions, adults and not using a or restrained get admission to education in their choice many others.

(h) To promote flexibility and want primarily based learning, preference-based totally credit machine shall be promoted. All ODE establishments will be endorsed to adopt this device and evolve a mechanism for acceptance and transfer of credit of the guides efficiently completed utilizing students in face-to-face or distance mode. For this reason, the establishment of a credit bank may be considered. Similarly, traditional universities, imparting face to face mode programs, will be encouraged to accept the scholars’ credits through distance mode. A switch over from annual to semester device will be critical.

(i) Convergence of the face-to-face mode teaching departments of traditional universities with their distance education directorates/correspondence course wings as additionally with open universities/establishments imparting distance education, shall be impressed upon to bridge the gap in distance and traditional face-to-face mode of schooling.

(j) Reputed Foreign education carriers nicely mounted, recognized, and permitted through ready authority in their united states of America and willing to offer their education programs in India shall be allowed, situation to the fulfillment of the country’s criminal requirement.

(ok) A National Information and Communication Technology infrastructure for networking of ODE establishments will be created under National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology.

(l) Efforts might be made to create a beneficial environment for research in Open and Distance Education (ODE) gadgets utilizing setting up infrastructures like e-libraries, virtual information-base, on-line journals, retaining regular workshops, seminars, and many others.

(m) Training and orientation programs for educators and administrators in the ODE system with recognition on the use of ICT and self-studying practice shall be advocated.

(n) ODE institutions will be encouraged to take care of newbies’ instructional desires with disabilities and senior citizens.

(o) An legitimate notification clarifying the problem of the popularity of instructional qualification, earned via distance mode, for the cause of employment, will be issued.

(p) A mechanism shall be set up for evaluation of ranges of foreign universities for the cause of academic pursuit as well as for employment underneath the Central Government. This may additionally include the assessment of the credentials of the college worried as also to check the competence of the degree holder if needed.