SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR OPEN EDUCATION
Nodal Organisations 5.01 The nodal Ministry for implementing Open Educa-
tion will naturally be the Ministry of Human Resource Devel-
opment, working in close collaboration with the Planning
Commission in order to keep the programme geared to employ-
ment opportunities and life- long learning for renewal of knowl-
edge and skills.. The National Open School and Indira Gandhi
National Open University, along with State Open Schools and
State Open Universities, would be the nodal agencies for organ-
izing, monitoring and evaluating various types of open educa-
tion. The experience of NOS in building course-linkages with
Shramik Vidyapeeths for provision of vocational education and
a similar approach by the YCMOU towards courses in horticul-
ture, agriculture and related technology for rural learners are
most welcome directions for the future of education in the
rapidly changing socio-economic conditions in our country.
The efforts of the YCMOU towards acquiring the character of
a mass university as against the conventional concept that a
university is meant for a few, are specially to be noted.
5.02 The highest policymaking and programme- evalu-
ation organization for education, with representatives from all
the States, is the Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE).
It may be beneficial to strengthen this role of the CABE further
by enabling it to annually review national and international
trends in education in the context of socioeconomic and politi-
cal factors, and advise government on new programme initia-
tives on the basis of a critical assessment of the situation. The
CABE may also suggest, on the basis of evaluative reports,
adaptation of the ongoing programmes in accordance with per-
ceived needs. A Standing Committee of CABE on Open Edu-
cation may be set up, as this would begin the trend towards
looking upon education as a varied and self- renewing system
for stimulating social change and economic developments.
With Member (Education), Planning Commission, as Chairper-
son of this Committee, linkages between the HRD Ministry and
Planning Commission would be facilitated, both at the policy
and implementation levels.
Collaborating Agen- 5.03 Inter-ministerial collaboration appears to be crucial
cies for achieving the objectives of open education. A wide-ranging
spectrum of courses, catering to the needs of various sectors of
the economy, would have to be offered and these can best be
designed under the guidance of the Ministries concerned, viz.
labour, health, agriculture, rural development, electronics, so-
cial welfare, communications, information and broadcasting,
industries, co-operation, and human resource development.
The Ministries concerned would have to be systematically inter-
linked and their programmes coordinated from time to time.
This collaboration will be essential in policy evolution, imple-
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mentation, and sharing of financial allocations. Each con-
cerned ministry may contribute a certain percentage of its
budget towards supporting networked programmes of open edu-
cation. In view of the complexity of this task of co-ordination
it would be best to entrust it to the Planning Commission.
5.04 Implementation of Open Education at the State and
district levels has necessarily to be a collaborative effort by
several agencies and institutions. Providing Learning Resource
Centres, at the State and district levels Government and non-
governmental agencies may be used for this purpose. For
instance, SCERT, SIET, and (more recently) DIET exist in the
government sector for servicing formal education. They have
done it for such a long time, that it may be desirable to instil
some flexibility in them by building their linkages with State
Resource Centres for Adult/Non-Formal Education, Shramik
Vidyapeeths and Centres/ institutions/ programmes conducted
by voluntary agencies and other non-government organizations,
for non-formal and part- time, own-time academic / vocational
education.
5.05 The third level of collaboration will be with institu-
tions and organisations that will act as Study Centres or Work-
Centres or workshops for learning and training.
Today, there are over 10,000 vocational institutions
which include vocational schools, vocational centres, commu-
nity polytechnics, ITIs, Shramik Vidyapeeths, Krishi Vigyan
Kendras, Health Centres, Farmers' Training Centres, training
facilities offered by voluntary agencies, professional organiza-
tions, and so on. Participation of competent and innovative
organizations will have to be insisted upon at the State, District
and local levels of which none will be subordinate to the other
but will be treated as equally important for managing the flow
of decisions and actions covering a purposive system of open
education. It will have to be ensured that an innovation like
open education does not get bogged down by administrative
routines, and hierarchical official structures which impede the
freedom of decisions and action at the point of delivery of
services, and antiquated financial procedures which generally
accompany conventional government schemes.
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