DISTANCE EDUCATION

 DISTANCE EDUCATION IN INDIA

        

        Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system is a system wherein teachers and learners need not necessarily be present either at same place or same time and is flexible in regard to modalities and timing of teaching and learning as also the admission criteria without compromising necessary quality considerations. ODL system of the country consists of Indra Gandhi National Open University(IGNOU), State Open Universities (SOUs), Institutions and Universities offering education and includes Correspondence Course Institutes (CCIs) in conventional dual mode universities. This is becoming more and more significant for continuing education, skill updation of in service personnel and for quality education of relevance to learners located at educationally disadvantageous locations.

Indira Gandhi National Open University :-       

     Indira Gandhi National Open University known as IGNOU, is a Central University located at New Delhi, India. Named after former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi, the university was established in 1985 with a budget of Rs 20 million, after the Parliament of India passed the Indira Gandhi National Open University Act, 1985 (IGNOU Act 1985). IGNOU is run by the central government of India, and with total active enrolment of over 4 million students, claims to be the largest university in the world. IGNOU was founded to serve the Indian population by means of distance and open education, providing quality higher education opportunities to all segments of society. It also aims to encourage, coordinate and set standards for distance and open education in India, and to strengthen the human resources of India through education. Apart from teaching and research, extension and training form the mainstay of its academic activities. It also acts as a national resource centre, and serves to promote and maintain standards of distance education in India. IGNOU hosts the Secretariats of the SAARC Consortium on Open and Distance Learning (SACODiL) and the Global Mega Universities Network (GMUNET), initially supported by UNESCO.

State Open Universities (SOUs) :-

     There are at present 13 State Open Universities set up by the respective state grants (as per details below), are single mode institutions, which means they provide education only in the distance mode. These universities cater to people who are unable to pursue regular courses due to various reasons. These Universities are also instrumental in shaping the career growth of learner who are already employed.

Commonwealth of Learning (COL) :-

   

        Commonwealth of Learning (COL) was established through a Memorandum of Understanding between Governments of Commonwealth countries in the year 1988. The Commonwealth of Learning (COL) is an intergovernmental organisation created by Commonwealth Heads of Government to encourage the development and sharing of open learning/distance education knowledge, resources and technologies. COL is helping developing nations to improve access to quality education and training.

Recognition of Academic Qualifications and Degrees:-

The Distance Learning Division in the Ministry of Education receives a number of queries from the general public seeking clarifications in respect of recognition of academic qualifications acquired through distance mode and their acceptance for the purpose of employment in Central/State Government service.

SAKSHAT: A One Stop Education Portal:-

The pilot project SAKSHAT: A One Stop Education Portal launched on October 30, 2006 by His Excellency, the then President of India to facilitate lifelong learning for students, teachers and those in employment or in pursuit of knowledge free of cost to them. The content development task for ‘SAKSHAT’ was looked after by the Content Advisory Committee (CAC) for the respective subject, which consisted of representatives from educational institutions like IGNOU, Delhi University, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangthan (KVS), Navodyaya Vidyalaya Sangthan (NVS), National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and prominent academicians in the field. In addition, some NGOs had also provided the contents developed by them free of cost for this portal.