In pursurance to the nnouncement of 100 days agenda of HRD of ministry by Hon’ble Human Recourses  development Minister ,New Policy on Distance LearningIn Higher Education Sector was drafted

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  : the 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 the following two prime objectives, among 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 working people; 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  learning  or  education  through  distance  mode  in  India,  goes

way back when the universities  started offering  education through distance  mode  in 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  taken  by  those,  who,   owing  to  various  reasons,  including  limited 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 the system  of higher education  could not accommodate this ever  increasing 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 always a danger that some 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 and IGNOU and its authority – 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  education and  training  cannot  be  ignored.  Distance  Mode  of  education  has

an important role for :

(i)providing  opportunity  of  learning  to  those,  who  do  not  have  direct  access  to

face to face  teaching, working persons, house-wives  etc.

 

(ii)providing  opportunity  to  working  professionals  to  update  their  knowledge,

enabling them  to switchover to  new  disciplines and professions and   enhancing

their qualifications for career advancement.

 

(iii)exploiting the potential of  Information and Communication  Technology (ICT) in

the teaching and learning process; and

 

(iv)achieving the target of 15%  of  GER  by the   end of 11th  Plan and  20% by the end

of 12th five 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 policy in  respect  of distance learning is laid  down:-

(a)  In  order  to  ensure  proper  coordination in  regulation  of  standards  of  higher education

in different disciplines through various  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  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  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  those programmes,  which  do  not  involve  extensive  practical  course  work,

shall  be permissible  through the distance 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  evaluation 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 report shall be placed before the Council of DEC for consideration.

(iv) The  approval  shall  be  given  only  after  consideration  by  Council  of  DEC  and not

by  Chairperson,  DEC.  For  the  purpose,  minimum  number  of  mandatory

meetings of  DEC may 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  section 20  (1)  of  their  respective Acts

to  frame  detailed  regulations  prescribing  standards  for  various

programmes/courses,  offered  through  the  distance 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  losses 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  honoured  and  granted

henceforth.  However,  the  universities  established  by  or  under  an  Act  of

education  programmes  in  the  streams  of  Humanities/Commerce/Social

Sciences before the year 1991 shall be excluded from this policy.

(ix) The  students  who  have  been  awarded  degrees  through  distance  mode  by  the

universities  without  taking  prior  approval  of  DEC  and  other  statutory  bodies,

shall  be  given  one  chance,  provided  they  fulfil  the  requirement  of  minimum

standards  as  prescribed  by  the  UGC,  AICTE  or  any  other  relevant  Statutory

Authority  through  Regulation,  to  appear  in  examinations  in  such  papers  as

decided  by  the  university  designated  to  conduct  the  examination.  If  these

students  qualify  in  this  examination,  the  university  concerned  shall  issue  a

certificate.  The  degree  along  with  the  said  qualifying  certificate  may  be

recognised  for  the  purpose  of  employment/promotion  under  Central Government.

(x) A  clarification  shall  be  issued  with  reference  to  Gazette  Notification  No.  44

dated  1.3.1995  that  it  shall  not  be  applicable  on  to  the  degrees/diplomas

awarded  by  the  universities  established  by  or  under  an  Act  of  Parliament  or

State  Legislature  before  1985,  in  the  streams  of  Humanities/Commerce  and

Social Sciences.

(xi) The  policy  initiatives  spelt  out  in  succeeding  paragraphs  shall  be  equally

applicable  to  institutions  offering  distance  education/intending  to  offer

distance education.

(b)  All  universities  and  institutions  offering  programmes  through  the  distance mode shall

need  to have prior recognition/approval  for  offering such  programmes  and accreditation from

designated  competent  authority, mandatorily  in  respect  of  the  programmes  offered  by  them.

The  violators  of  this  shall  be  liable  for  appropriate  penalty  as  prescribed  by  law.  The

universities/institutions  offering  education  through  distance  mode  and  found  involved  in

cheating  of  students/people  by  giving  wrong/false  information  or  wilfully  suppressing  the

information shall also be dealt  with strictly  under the penal provisions  of  law.

(c)  The  universities  /  institutes  shall  have  their  own  study  centres  for  face  to  face

counselling  and  removal  of  difficulties  as  also  to  seek  other  academic  and  administrative

assistance.  Franchising  of  distance education  by  any  university,  institutions  whether  public  or

private shall not  be  allowed.

(d )  The  universities /institutions shall  only  offer  such programmes  through  distance  mode

which  are  on  offer  on  their  campuses  through  conventional  mode.   In  case  of  open

universities,  they  shall  necessarily  have  the  required  departments  and  faculties  prior  to

offering relevant  programmes through distance mode.

(e)  It  would  be mandatory for  all universities and  education  institutions offering  distance

education  to  use  Information  and  Communication  Technology  (ICT)  in  delivery  of  their

programmes,  management  of  the  student  and  university  affairs  through  a  web  portal  or  any

other  such  platform.  The  said  platform  shall  invariably,  display  in  public  domain,  the

information  about  the  statutory  and  other  approvals  along  with  other  necessary  information

about  the  programmes  on  offer  through  distance  mode,  their  accreditation  and  students

enrolled,  year- wise,  etc.  This  may  be  linked  to  a  national  database,  as  and  when  created,  to

facilitate  the stakeholders  to take a view  on  the recognition  of  the degrees for the  purpose  of

academic pursuit or  employment  with/under  them.

(f)    All  universities/education institutions shall  make  optimal use of e-learning  contents  for

delivery/offering  their  programmes  through  distance  mode.  They  shall  also  be

encouraged/required  to  adopt  e-surveillance  technology  for  conduct  of  clean,  fair  and

transparent examinations.

(g)  The focus of distance education  shall  be  to provide opportunity  of education to people

at  educationally  disadvantaged  situations  such as  living  in  remote  and  rural  areas, adults with

no or  limited  access  to  education of their choice etc.

(h)  In  order  to  promote  flexible and need based learning,  choice-based credit system  shall

be  promoted  and  all  ODE  institutions  shall  be  encouraged  to  adopt  this  system  and  evolve  a mechanism  for  acceptance  and  transfer  of  credits  of  the  courses  successfully  completed  by

students  in  face-to-face  or  distance  mode.  For  the  purpose,  establishment  of  a  credit  bank

may  be  considered.  Similarly,  conventional  universities,  offering  face  to  face  mode

programmes  shall  be  encouraged  to  accept  the  credits  earned  by  the  students  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  conventional

universities  with  their  distance  education directorates/correspondence  course wings  as  also

with  open  universities/institutions  offering  distance  education,  shall  be  impressed  upon  to

bridge the gap  in distance and conventional face-to-face mode of education.

 

(j)  Reputed  Foreign  education  providers  well  established,  recognized  and  accredited  by

competent  authority in their  country and  willing  to  offer  their education programmes  in  India

shall be allowed, subject to the fulfilment of the legal requirement of the country.

 

(k)  A  National  Information  and  Communication  Technology  infrastructure  for  networking

of ODE institutions shall  be  created under National  Mission on Education  through  Information

and Communication Technology.

 

(l)  Efforts  would  be  made  to  create  favourable  environment  for  research  in  Open  and Distance Education (ODE) system by setting up  infrastructure like e- libraries, digital  data-base,

online journals, holding regular workshops, seminars etc.

 

(m)  Training  and  orientation  programmes  for  educators  and  administrators  in  ODE  system

with  focus on  use of ICT and self-learning practice, shall be encouraged.

(n)  ODE  institutions  shall  be  encouraged  to  take  care  the  educational  needs  of  learners

with  disabilities and senior citizens.

(o)  An  official  notification  clarifying  the  issue  of  recognition  of  academic  qualification,

earned through distance mode,  for  the  purpose of employment, shall be issued.

(p)   A  mechanism  shall be  set  up  for  evaluation  of  degrees  of  foreign  universities  for  the

purpose  of  academic  pursuit  as  well  as  for  employment  under  the  Central  Government.  This

may include  the  assessment  of  the  credentials  of  the  university  concerned  as  also  to  test  the

competence of the degree holder,  if  needed.

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