Higher studies, distance education policy

In pursuance to the announcement of one hundred days agenda of HRD of ministry by Humble Human Resources development Minister, a replacement Policy on Distance Learning In pedagogy Sector was written.
BACKGROUND:
1. In terms of Entry sixty six of List one of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of Asian nation, Parliament is competent to create laws for the coordination and determination of standards in establishments for pedagogy for analysis, and scientific and technical establishments. Parliament has enacted laws for discharging this responsibility through: the University Grants Commission (UGC) for general pedagogy, the All Asian nation Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for Technical Education; and alternative statutory bodies for alternative disciplines. As regards pedagogy, through the gap mode, solon National Open University (IGNOU) Act, 1985 was enacted with the subsequent 2 prime objectives, among others: (a) to produce opportunities for pedagogy toan oversized section of population, particularly deprived teams living in remote and rural areas, adults, housewives and dealing people; and (b) to encourage Open University and Distance Education Systems within the instructional pattern of the country and to coordinate and verify the standards in such systems.
2. The history of distance learning or education through distance mode in Asian nation goes manner back once the colleges started providing education through distance mode within the 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 brought by those, who, thanks to varied reasons, as well as restricted variety of seats in regular courses, employability, issues of access to the establishments of upper learning etc., couldn’t get themselves registered within the typical `face-to-face’ mode `in-class’ programs.
3. within the recent past, the demand for pedagogy has augmented tremendously throughout the country due to awareness regarding the importance of upper education, whereas the system of upper education couldn’t accommodate this ever increasing demand.
4. beneath the circumstances, variety of establishments as well as deemed universities, personal universities, public (Government) universities and even alternative establishments, that aren’t scepter to award degrees, have started cashing on matters by providing distance education schemes during a sizable amount of disciplines, starting from humanities to engineering and management etc., and at totally different levels (certificate to under-graduate and post-graduate degrees). there’s always a danger that a number 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 gap mode. This concerns a so much higher degree of coordination among the involved statutory authorities, primarily, UGC, AICTE and IGNOU and its authority - the gap Education Council (DEC).
5. Government of Asian nation had processed its position in respect of recognition of degrees, earned through the gap mode, for employment under that vide Gazette Notification No. 44 dated 1.3.1995.
6. Despite the risks mentioned in Para four higher than, the importance of distance education in providing quality education and coaching can’t be unnoticed. Distance Mode of education has a crucial role for:
(i)providing chance of learning to those, UN agency don’t have direct access to face to face teaching, operating persons, house-wives etc.
(ii)providing chance to operating professionals to update their data, sanctioning them to switchover to new disciplines and professions and enhancing their qualifications for career advancement.
(iii)exploiting the potential of knowledge and Communication Technology (ICT) within the teaching and learning process; and
(iv)achieving the target of 15 August 1945 of GER by the top of eleventh arrange and two hundredth by the top of twelfth 5 year arrange.
7. so as to discharge the Constitutional responsibility of determination and maintenance of the standards in pedagogy, by making certain coordination among varied statutory regulative authorities as conjointly to make sure the promotion of open and distance education system within the country to satisfy the aspirations of all cross-sections of individuals for pedagogy, the following policy in respect of distance learning is set down:
(a) so as to make sure proper coordination in regulation of standards of upper education in numerous disciplines through various 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, associate apex body, namely, National Commission for pedagogy and analysis shall be established in line with the recommendations of academician Yash Pal Committee / National data Commission. A commission on Open and Distance
Education of the same Commission, shall undertake the duty of coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of education through the gap mode. unfinished institution of this body:
(i) solely those programs, that don’t involve in depth sensible course work, shall be permissible through the gap mode.
(ii) Universities / establishments shall frame ordinances / rules / rules, because the case could also be, orthography out the define of the programs to be offered through the gap mode indicating the amount of needed credits, list of courses with appointed credits, reading references additionally to self learning material, hours of study, contact classes at study centers, assignments, examination and analysis method, grading etc.
(iii) DEC of IGNOU shall solely assess the competency of university/institute in respect of conducting distance education schemes by a team of specialists, whose report shall be placed before the Council of DEC for thought.
(iv) The approval shall tend solely once thought by Council of DEC and not by presiding officer, DEC. For the aim, minimum variety of necessary conferences of DEC could also be prescribed.
(v) AICTE would be directed beneath section twenty (1) of AICTE Act 1987 to make sure certification of the programs in laptop Sciences, info Technology associated Management purposed to be offered by an institute/university through the gap mode, by National Board of certification (NBA).
(vi) UGC and AICTE would be directed beneath section twenty (1) of their several Acts to border elaborated rules prescribing standards for varied programs/courses, offered through the gap mode beneath their mandate,
(vii) No university/institute, except the colleges established by or beneath associate Act of Parliament/State assembly before 1985, shall provide any program through the gap mode, henceforth, while not approval from DEC and certification by NBA. However, the universities/institutions already providing programs in Humanities, Commerce/Business/Social Sciences/Computer Sciences and data Technology and Management, could also bellowed to continue, subject to the condition to get contemporary approval from DEC and certification from NBA among one year, failing that they shall got to discontinue the program and also the entire concern with relevance the educational career and money losses of the scholars registered with them, shall air such institutions/universities.
(viii) In lightweight of observation of Apex Court, ex-post-facto approval granted by any authority for distance education shall not be honored and granted henceforward. However, the colleges established by or beneath associate Act of education schemes within the streams of Humanities/Commerce/Social Sciences before the year 1991 shall be excluded from this policy.
(ix) the scholars UN agency are awarded degrees through distance mode by the colleges while not taking previous approval of DEC and alternative statutory bodies, shall tend one likelihood, provided they fulfill the necessity of minimum standards as prescribed by the UGC, AICTE or the other relevant Statutory Authority through Regulation, to look in examinations in such papers as set by the university selected to conduct the examination. If these students qualify during this examination, the university involved shall issue a certificate. The degree along side the same qualifying certificate could also be recognized for the aim of employment/promotion beneath Central Government.
(x) A clarification shall be issued with regard to Gazette Notification No. 44 dated 1.3.1995 that it shall not be applicable on to the degrees/diplomas awarded by the colleges established by or beneath associate Act of Parliament or State assembly before 1985, within the streams of Humanities/Commerce and Social Sciences.
(xi) The policy initiatives Tritium aestivum spelta move into succeeding paragraphs shall be equally applicable to establishments providing distance education/intending to supply distance education.
(b) All universities and institutions offering programs through the gap mode shall get to have prior recognition/approval for offering such programs and accreditation from designated competent authority, compulsorily in respect of the programs offered by them. The violators of this shall be chargeable for appropriate penalty as prescribed by law. The universities/institutions providing education through distance mode and located concerned in cheating of students/people by giving wrong/false info or willfully suppressing the knowledge shall even be proscribed strictly beneath the penal provisions of law.
(c) the colleges / institutes shall have their own study centers for face to face content and removal of difficulties as conjointly to hunt alternative tutorial and body help. Franchising of distance education by any university, establishments whether or not public or personal shall not be allowed.
(d ) the colleges /institutions shall solely provide such programs through distance mode that square measure on provide on their campuses through typical mode just in case of open universities, they shall essentially have the desired departments and colleges before providing relevant programs through distance mode.
(e) It would be necessary for all universities and education establishments providing distance education to use info and Communication Technology (ICT) in delivery of their programs, management of the coed and university affairs through an internet portal or the other such platform. The same platform shall invariably, show publicly domain, regarding the statutory and alternative approvals along side alternative necessary information regarding the programs on provide through distance mode, their certification and students registered, year- wise, etc. this could be connected to a national info, as and once created, to facilitate the stakeholders to require a read on the popularity of the degrees for the aim of educational pursuit or employment with/under them.
(f) All universities/education institutions shall make optimal use of e-learning contents for delivery/offering their programs through distance mode. They shall even be inspired / needed to adopt e-surveillance technology for conduct of unpolluted, truthful and clear examinations.
(g) the main focus of distance education shall be to produce chance of education to individuals at educationally deprived things like living in remote and rural areas, adults with no or limited access to education of their choice etc.
(h) so as to market versatile and wish based mostly learning, choice-based system shall be promoted and every one lyric poem establishments shall be inspired to adopt this technique and evolve a mechanism for acceptance and transfer of credits of the courses with success completed by students in face-to-face or distance mode. For the aim, institution of a credit bank could also be thought of. Similarly, typical universities, providing face to face mode programs shall be inspired to simply accept the credits attained by the scholars through distance mode. A switch over from annual to semester system shall be essential.
(i) Convergence of the face-to-face mode teaching departments of typical universities with their distance education directorates/correspondence course wings as conjointly with open universities/institutions providing distance education shall be affected upon to bridge the gap in distance and standard face-to-face mode of education.
(j) Acknowledged Foreign education suppliers well established, recognized and authorized by competent authority in their country and willing to supply their education programmers in Asian nation shall be allowed, subject to the fulfillment of the legal demand of the country.
(k) A National info and Communication Technology infrastructure for networking of lyric poem establishments shall be created beneath National Mission on Education through info and Communication Technology.
(l) Efforts would be created to form favorable surroundings for analysis in Open and Distance Education (ODE) system by fixing infrastructure like e- libraries, digital data-base, on-line journals, holding regular workshops, seminars etc.
(m) Coaching and orientation programmers for educators and directors in lyric poem system with concentrate on use of ICT and self-learning apply, shall be inspired.
(n) lyric poem establishments shall be inspired to require care the tutorial desires of learners with disabilities and senior voters.
(o) a politician notification elucidative the difficulty of recognition of educational qualification, attained through distance mode, for the aim of employment, shall be issued.
(p) A mechanism shall be created for analysis of degrees of foreign universities for the aim of educational pursuit additionally as for employment beneath the Central Government. This could embrace the assessment of the credentials of the university involved as conjointly to check the competency of the degree holder, if needed.
Source: Education News