India has one of the largest open and distance learning (ODL) systems in the world, second only to China. To increase the gross enrolment ratio (GER) there is every need to increase the number of Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) and ODL comes in to help students fulfil their dreams of higher education. It has become a useful and popular mode of obtaining degrees for a large number of students who are staying in far off and remote corners and for whom accessing HEIs on regular basis is still a dream.
Launched in 1962 by the Delhi University, ODL was introduced in India as an academic solution to reach out to more students and further democratise the education system. The establishment of the Andhra Pradesh Open University (now Dr. BR Ambedkar Open University) in 1982 and the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in 1985 popularised ODL in the country. Thereafter, state open universities, state universities and other organisations introduced education in ODL mode.
In India, there are six types of institutions allowed to offer ODL — national open university, state open universities, distance education institutions (DEIs) at institutions of national importance, Central universities, state universities, deemed to be universities and state private universities, DEIs at standalone institutions like professional associations, government institutions and private institutions.
The responsibility of coordinating and promotion of ODL was bestowed by the Parliament on the IGNOU and the Distance Education Council (DEC) was formed in 1991. In 2013, the DEC was dissolved and soon after the UGC was directed to act as the regulator for ODL under the Distance Education Bureau.
As per the All India Survey of Higher Education, 2019-20, distance enrolment constitutes 11.1 per cent of the total enrolment in higher education, of which 44.5 per cent are female students. Of the total students pursuing education in ODL mode, six states where it is popular account for 60.5 per cent of the total enrollment. Delhi accounts for 15.9 per cent, Maharashtra 15.5 per cent, Tamil Nadu 12.5 per cent, Andhra Pradesh 6.2 per cent, Kerala 6 per cent and West Bengal 4.4 per cent. The rest of the country contributes 39.5 per cent of the ODL enrolment. In fact, the objective of ODL is to serve the purpose of the students of remote and backward areas, but the developed states are ahead in reaping its benefits. Efforts are to be made to make it popular in other states to provide equity and access to higher education to disadvantaged students.
The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 rightly pointed out that adverse circumstances and realities like rise in epidemics and pandemics necessitates new initiatives. We must be ready with alternative modes of imparting quality education whenever and wherever traditional and offline modes of education are not feasible. It stressed on the use of online and digital education which are to be optimised and expanded to meet the future demands and challenges of the society. However, the constraint of digital divide in the country is to be taken care of for a healthy growth of online and digital education.
The NEP 2020 recognises the importance of leveraging the advantages of technology while acknowledging its potential risks and dangers. It calls for carefully designed and appropriately scaled pilot studies to determine how the benefits of online/digital education can be reaped while addressing or mitigating the downsides. In the meantime, the existing digital platforms and ongoing ICT-based educational initiatives must be optimised and expanded to meet the current and future challenges in providing quality education for all.
The pandemic further reminded us of the need to popularise ODL in the country which can be of much help to the students. As offline classes are not compulsory in ODL, it will emerge as a safe and suitable mode of education. The traditional ODL is to be transformed substantially to meet the present-day demand. The NEP clarified that the ODL programmes are equivalent to regular on-campus programmes, and stressed on online programmes but was silent about the establishment of open universities. There is every need to set up open universities in every state to take higher education to the doorsteps of students. The government has to recognise the importance of open universities and take appropriate steps in order to achieve the ambitious target of achieving 50 per cent GER by 2035.
The writer is Head, Department of Commerce, Nowrangpur College, Nabarangpur.