 SOME FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

Wide Horizons

What does an institution for Open Learning at school level hold for the future? What are the futures of the National Open School? It is not an easy question to answer nor can the answers be definitive. But it is eminently worthwhile to dream and envisage some of the future thrust areas of NOS.

The Problem of Excessive Demand :

While an institution should be happy about its rapid growth, NOS is feeling concerned, because the numbers have grown so quickly that we are unable to cope up with the follow-up student service aspects. As part of the future planning, this aspect of limiting the numbers who will be admitted to NOS and actively exploring with several States to start own state-level Open Schools, with provision of the State language/s, gain urgency. While the pressure of NOS is a problem, its solution through sharing the task with state Open Schools, will offer many new opportunities to the untold millions who seek continuing education.

The Challenge of Relevant Curriculum:

While an institution System than an appendage to the Formal System, the real test will lie in the ability of NOS and of Open Schools to develop more relevant curricula, with substantial and selective discarding of such content areas that do not contribute to educational standards and appreciably, increasing applications to life situations and conditions. This will help the students to become more competent. Examination, a part of the educational continuum, has for all practical purposes, taken charge and controls and dominates the whole process. A case of the tail wagging the dog and the dog not resenting! Meaningful reforms in the evaluation system, with modularisation of the courses and developing a credit system, and building into it the needed flexibility, to match student needs and interests with corresponding provision in the course units, is another, major challenge for NOS.

Seeking Partners in Continuing Education:

Apart from the partnership that we hope to have from States, in setting up own Open School in the State, NOS would actively pursue the identification of partners, already in the field, whether a Government-sponsored institution or a voluntary agency or an organisation, which would collaborate in the evolution of courses and in the administration of such programmes. Since there is still a market demand for recongised courses NOS would assess such courses through technical committees and accredit them. Once accredited, the students offering such courses would get a certificate from the NOS as well. Thus NOS outreach would be extended considerably, not only in geographical terms but in the number and quality of courses offered. Major thrust areas are the accreditation of vocational courses in community education, such as community health, status of women, etc. While some initiatives are already in the pipeline, a search for linkups with courses and programmes to serve the rural people is an important priority area.

Learning to Learn or how to enable the students to become increasingly self-learners or independent learners is a major area of search for practical solutions. This will touch the development and format of the printed texts, the orientation of teachers and tutors at the accredited study centres, which number 160 at present, spread throughout the country and ensuring that the students of NOS are slowly but surely becoming empowered persons (empowered to learn). Since the formal, by practice if not by design, promotes a great deal of unhealthy dependency, thereby making the students more and more incompetent for life, ways for developing this personal power and competence, through built-in features in the curriculum and course designs, teaching-learning approaches and evaluation is among the most important key result areas of NOS.

Institution Building is essential, for a young establishment like NOS. Part of this IB process is the management approach, keeping a lean and efficient staff, which, in turn, will call for an organised and systematic orientation for the staff of all categories. How, in practice, to combine and promote Concern For Task (CT) while preserving an equal amount of Concern For People (CP). Over- definition of tasks and procedures

have killed initiatives in many institutions. Consultations are often something of a formality. How to avail of the institution's available human resources, so that a happy combination of CT with CP would ensure a better product, while keeping the staff satisfied and fulfilled? How to create and maintain an appropriate institutional ethos, that keeps it humane and still efficient, task oriented and yet remaining people related? How to remain a non-manipulative institution? How to keep the staff morale and motivation high? NOS would seek ground level answers to these hard but necessary questions.

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"It is the development of distance education as an academic discipline that will have the most profound effect on Its practice in the future."

Eric Gough, 1984.

"There is a tide in the affairs of men Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune. Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures."

William Shakespeare.