OPEN UNIVERSITY AND DISTANCE EDUCATION
1. The Open University System augments opportunities for higher education, ensures access, is cost-effective and promotes a flexible and innovative system of education.
2. The Indira Gandhi National Open University has been established with these objectives and came into existence in September.,1985. The University has been assigned the responsibility to coordinate the distance learning system in the country and determine its standards. In order to develop and strengthen the Open University System:
(1) The Indira Gandhi National Open University has initiated action for its academic programmes. In the first instance, the programmes will consist of undergraduate degree and diploma programmes. The University will offer the diploma level courses in distance education and management from early 1987. These programmes will be followed by diplomas in rural development and in computer science which will be offered in the latter part of 1987. A diploma in creative writing is also envisaged. Preparations for the undergraduate programmes are in progress and the courses will be offered from early 1988. The University will also design courses specially in the areas of relevance to the needs of women and for teacher orientation.
(2) The courses will be structured on a modular pattern with the facility for accumulation of credits. Provision will be made for transfer of credits from the formal to the nonformal system, and vice-versa. The UGC and the Open University will frame detailed guidlines in this respect.
(3) Standards will be prescribed to determine the minimum level of learning at every stage of education and criteria will be evolved to objectively assess this level of attainment so that opportunities can be provided to all including housewives, agricultural and industrial workers and professionals to continue their education.
(4) To strengthen the delivery system of the Open University and the media support to its programmes, discussions will be held with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for provision of separate Radio and T.V. channels.
(5) In the discharge of its responsibility to coordinate the distance learning system and determine its standards, the National Open University will frame necessary statutes for
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the guidance/compliance of the State Governments who either wish to establish their own open universities or want to take advantage of the facilities offered by the National Open University.
(6) Arrangements will be made to develop a network of courses in the Open University System. This would mean that a student joining one Open University can take courses from another Open University. The system will, therefore, offer a wide variety of academic programmes.
(7) It is essential that the quality of the Open University programmes and the efficiency of the delivery system are ensured. Since adequate expertise and trained manpower in this area are limited, it will be necessary that the Open Universities to be established develop their programmes in close collaboration with the Indira Gandhi National Open University.
(8) State Governments will ensure that Open Universities are established after very careful planning and that the required resources and facilities are available to them. The National Open University will also give financial assistance to the State Open Universities and departments of correspondence courses for development purposes.