| In pursuance to the announcement of 100 days | | | | approval from DEC and accreditation by NBA. |
| agenda of HRD of ministry by Hon'ble Human | | | | However, the universities/institutions already offering |
| Resources development Minister, a New Policy on | | | | programmes in Humanities, Commerce/Business/Social |
| Distance Learning In Higher Education Sector was | | | | Sciences/Computer Sciences and Information |
| drafted. | | | | Technology and Management, may be allowed to |
| BACKGROUND | | | | continue, subject to the condition to obtain fresh |
| 1. In terms of Entry 66 of List 1 of the Seventh | | | | approval from DEC and accreditation from NBA within |
| Schedule to the Constitution of India, Parliament is | | | | one year, failing which they shall have to discontinue |
| competent to make laws for the coordination and | | | | the programme and the entire onus with respect to |
| determination of standards in institutions for higher | | | | the academic career and financial losses of the |
| education for research, and scientific and technical | | | | students enrolled with them, shall be on such |
| institutions. Parliament has enacted laws for | | | | institutions/universities. |
| discharging this responsibility through: the University | | | | (viii) In light of observation of Apex Court, |
| Grants Commission (UGC) for general Higher | | | | ex-post-facto approval granted by any authority for |
| Education, the All India Council for Technical Education | | | | distance education shall not be honoured and granted |
| (AICTE) for Technical Education; and other Statutory | | | | henceforth. However, the universities established by |
| bodies for other disciplines. As regards higher | | | | or under an Act of education programmes in the |
| education, through the distance mode, Indira Gandhi | | | | streams of Humanities/Commerce/Social Sciences |
| National Open University (IGNOU) Act, 1985 was | | | | before the year 1991 shall be excluded from this |
| enacted with the following two prime objectives, | | | | policy. |
| among others: (a) To provide opportunities for higher | | | | (ix) The students who have been awarded degrees |
| education to a large segment of population, especially | | | | through distance mode by the universities without |
| disadvantaged groups living in remote and rural areas, | | | | taking prior approval of DEC and other statutory |
| adults, housewives and working people; and (b) to | | | | bodies, shall be given one chance, provided they fulfil |
| encourage Open University and Distance Education | | | | the requirement of minimum standards as prescribed |
| Systems in the educational pattern of the country | | | | by the UGC, AICTE or any other relevant Statutory |
| and to coordinate and determine the standards in | | | | Authority through Regulation, to appear in |
| such systems. | | | | examinations in such papers as decided by the |
| 2. The history of distance learning or education | | | | university designated to conduct the examination. If |
| through distance mode in India, goes way back when | | | | these students qualify in this examination, the |
| the universities started offering education through | | | | university concerned shall issue a certificate. The |
| distance mode in the name of Correspondence | | | | degree along with the said qualifying certificate may |
| Courses through their Directorate/School of | | | | be recognised for the purpose of employment |
| Correspondence Education. In those days, the | | | | promotion under Central Government. |
| courses in humanities and/or in commerce were | | | | (x) A clarification shall be issued with reference to |
| offered through correspondence and taken by those, | | | | Gazette Notification No. 44 dated 1.3.1995 that it shall |
| who, owing to various reasons, including limited | | | | not be applicable on to the degrees/diplomas |
| number of seats in regular courses, employability, | | | | awarded by the universities established by or under |
| problems of access to the institutions of higher | | | | an Act of Parliament or State Legislature before |
| learning etc., could not get themselves enrolled in the | | | | 1985, in the streams of Humanities/Commerce and |
| conventional `face-to-face' mode `in-class' | | | | Social Sciences. |
| programmes. | | | | (xi) The policy initiatives spelt out in succeeding |
| 3. In the recent past, the demand for higher | | | | paragraphs shall be equally applicable to institutions |
| education has increased enormously throughout the | | | | offering distance education/intending to offer |
| country because of awareness about the significance | | | | distance education. |
| of higher education, whereas the system of higher | | | | (b) All universities and institutions offering |
| education could not accommodate this ever | | | | programmes through the distance mode shall need to |
| increasing demand. | | | | have prior recognition/approval for offering such |
| 4. Under the circumstances, a number of institutions | | | | programmes and accreditation from designated |
| including deemed universities, private universities, | | | | competent authority, mandatorily in respect of the |
| public (Government) universities and even other | | | | programmes offered by them. The violators of this |
| institutions, which are not empowered to award | | | | shall be liable for appropriate penalty as prescribed by |
| degrees, have started cashing on the situation by | | | | law. The universities/institutions offering education |
| offering distance education programmes in a large | | | | through distance mode and found involved in cheating |
| number of disciplines, ranging from humanities to | | | | of students/people by giving wrong/false information |
| engineering and management etc., and at different | | | | or wilfully suppressing the information shall also be |
| levels (certificate to under-graduate and | | | | dealt with strictly under the penal provisions of law. |
| post-graduate degrees). There is always a danger | | | | (c) The universities / institutes shall have their own |
| that some of these institutions may become `degree | | | | study centres for face to face counselling and |
| mills' offering sub- standard/poor quality education, | | | | removal of difficulties as also to seek other academic |
| consequently eroding the credibility of degrees and | | | | and administrative assistance. Franchising of distance |
| other qualifications awarded through the distance | | | | education by any university, institutions whether |
| mode. This calls for a far higher degree of | | | | public or private shall not be allowed. |
| coordination among the concerned statutory | | | | (d ) The universities /institutions shall only offer such |
| authorities, primarily, UGC, AICTE and IGNOU and its | | | | programmes through distance mode which are on |
| authority - the Distance Education Council (DEC). | | | | offer on their campuses through conventional mode. |
| 5. Government of India had clarified its position in | | | | In case of open universities, they shall necessarily |
| respect of recognition of degrees, earned through | | | | have the required departments and faculties prior to |
| the distance mode, for employment under it vide | | | | offering relevant programmes through distance mode. |
| Gazette Notification No. 44 dated 1.3.1995. | | | | (e) It would be mandatory for all universities and |
| 6. Despite the risks referred to in para 4 above, the | | | | education institutions offering distance education to |
| significance of distance education in providing quality | | | | use Information and Communication Technology |
| education and training cannot be ignored. Distance | | | | (ICT) in delivery of their programmes, management |
| Mode of education has an important role for: | | | | of the student and university affairs through a web |
| (i)providing opportunity of learning to those, who do | | | | portal or any other such platform. The said platform |
| not have direct access to face to face teaching, | | | | shall invariably, display in public domain, the information |
| working persons, house-wives etc. | | | | about the statutory and other approvals along with |
| (ii)providing opportunity to working professionals to | | | | other necessary information about the programmes |
| update their knowledge, enabling them to switchover | | | | on offer through distance mode, their accreditation |
| to new disciplines and professions and enhancing their | | | | and students enrolled, year- wise, etc. This may be |
| qualifications for career advancement. | | | | linked to a national database, as and when created, |
| (iii)exploiting the potential of Information and | | | | to facilitate the stakeholders to take a view on the |
| Communication Technology (ICT) in the teaching and | | | | recognition of the degrees for the purpose of |
| learning process; and | | | | academic pursuit or employment with/under them. |
| (iv)achieving the target of 15% of GER by the end | | | | (f) All universities/education institutions shall make |
| of 11th Plan and 20% by the end of 12th five year | | | | optimal use of e-learning contents for delivery |
| Plan. | | | | offering their programmes through distance mode. |
| 7. In order to discharge the Constitutional | | | | They shall also be encouraged/required to adopt |
| responsibility of determination and maintenance of | | | | e-surveillance technology for conduct of clean, fair |
| the standards in Higher Education, by ensuring | | | | and transparent examinations. |
| coordination among various statutory regulatory | | | | (g) The focus of distance education shall be to |
| authorities as also to ensure the promotion of open | | | | provide opportunity of education to people at |
| and distance education system in the country to | | | | educationally disadvantaged situations such as living in |
| meet the aspirations of all cross-sections of people | | | | remote and rural areas, adults with no or limited |
| for higher education, the following policy in respect of | | | | access to education of their choice etc. |
| distance learning is laid down: | | | | (h) In order to promote flexible and need based |
| (a) In order to ensure proper coordination in | | | | learning, choice-based credit system shall be |
| regulation of standards of higher education in | | | | promoted and all ODE institutions shall be encouraged |
| different disciplines through various modes [i.e. face | | | | to adopt this system and evolve a mechanism for |
| to face and distance] as also to ensure credibility of | | | | acceptance and transfer of credits of the courses |
| degrees/diploma and certificates awarded by Indian | | | | successfully completed by students in face-to-face or |
| Universities and other Education Institutes, an apex | | | | distance mode. For the purpose, establishment of a |
| body, namely, National Commission for Higher | | | | credit bank may be considered. Similarly, conventional |
| Education and Research shall be established in line | | | | universities, offering face to face mode programmes |
| with the recommendations of Prof. Yash Pal | | | | shall be encouraged to accept the credits earned by |
| Committee/National Knowledge Commission. A | | | | the students through distance mode. A switch over |
| Standing Committee on Open and Distance | | | | from annual to semester system shall be essential. |
| Education of the said Commission, shall undertake the | | | | (i) Convergence of the face-to-face mode teaching |
| job of coordination, determination and maintenance | | | | departments of conventional universities with their |
| of standards of education through the distance | | | | distance education directorates/correspondence |
| mode. Pending establishment of this body: | | | | course wings as also with open universities |
| (i) Only those programmes, which do not involve | | | | institutions offering distance education, shall be |
| extensive practical course work, shall be permissible | | | | impressed upon to bridge the gap in distance and |
| through the distance mode. | | | | conventional face-to-face mode of education. |
| (ii) Universities / institutions shall frame ordinances / | | | | (j) Reputed Foreign education providers well |
| regulations / rules, as the case may be, spelling out | | | | established, recognized and accredited by competent |
| the outline of the programmes to be offered through | | | | authority in their country and willing to offer their |
| the distance mode indicating the number of required | | | | education programmes in India shall be allowed, |
| credits, list of courses with assigned credits, reading | | | | subject to the fulfillment of the legal requirement of |
| references in addition to self learning material, hours | | | | the country. |
| of study, contact classes at study centres, | | | | (k) A National Information and Communication |
| assignments, examination and evaluation process, | | | | Technology infrastructure for networking of ODE |
| grading etc. | | | | institutions shall be created under National Mission on |
| (iii) DEC of IGNOU shall only assess the competence | | | | Education through Information and Communication |
| of university/institute in respect of conducting | | | | Technology. |
| distance education programmes by a team of | | | | (l) Efforts would be made to create favourable |
| experts, whose report shall be placed before the | | | | environment for research in Open and Distance |
| Council of DEC for consideration. | | | | Education (ODE) system by setting up infrastructure |
| (iv) The approval shall be given only after | | | | like e- libraries, digital data-base, online journals, holding |
| consideration by Council of DEC and not by | | | | regular workshops, seminars etc. |
| Chairperson, DEC. For the purpose, minimum number | | | | (m) Training and orientation programmes for |
| of mandatory meetings of DEC may be prescribed. | | | | educators and administrators in ODE system with |
| (v) AICTE would be directed under section 20 (1) of | | | | focus on use of ICT and self-learning practice, shall |
| AICTE Act 1987 to ensure accreditation of the | | | | be encouraged. |
| programmes in Computer Sciences, Information | | | | (n) ODE institutions shall be encouraged to take care |
| Technology and Management purposed to be | | | | the educational needs of learners with disabilities and |
| offered by an institute/university through the | | | | senior citizens. |
| distance mode, by National Board of Accreditation | | | | (o) An official notification clarifying the issue of |
| (NBA). | | | | recognition of academic qualification, earned through |
| (vi) UGC and AICTE would be directed under section | | | | distance mode, for the purpose of employment, shall |
| 20 (1) of their respective Acts to frame detailed | | | | be issued. |
| regulations prescribing standards for various | | | | (p) A mechanism shall be set up for evaluation of |
| programmes/courses, offered through the distance | | | | degrees of foreign universities for the purpose of |
| mode under their mandate, | | | | academic pursuit as well as for employment under |
| (vii) No university/institute, except the universities | | | | the Central Government. This may include the |
| established by or under an Act of Parliament/State | | | | assessment of the credentials of the university |
| Legislature before 1985, shall offer any programme | | | | concerned as also to test the competence of the |
| through the distance mode, henceforth, without | | | | degree holder, if needed. |