UGC has identified and authorized 113 Higher Education Institutes to provide Open and Distance Learning publications for the 2019-20 educational session. The growth in the number of students in distance learning programs has led UGC to implement strict, excellent guidelines and policies for open and distance learning programmes. There has been a 25% growth in the enrolment of students in the space getting-to-know programs.
Avichal Kapur, Joint Secretary of UGC, has said that UGC has already authorized nearly 1500 new programs under ODL, which has received 18 lakh admission requests for postgraduate and undergraduate degrees. He also noted that the same old distance getting-to-know courses might equal that of traditional programs. UGC also asked the permitted universities to conduct behavior process festivals for students in distance learning programs. Besides this, the regulatory frame has also asked HEIs to follow commonplace question papers for traditional and distance mastering publications from the the July 2019 instructional session.
Keeping with the UGC regulations, the Open and Distance Learning sessions are carried out over one year, starting from July to January every 12 months. Kapur said this is not the most effective way of presenting two classes in a year; however, it also provides flexibility to college students. RP Bahuguna, honorary director (Administration), Centre for Distance and Open Learning, Jamia Millia Islamia, said that the approval of UGC in recognizing distance mastering guides would assist in contributing to Gross Enrolment Ratio and make Higher Education available to college students from marginalized sections. In the interim, Institutes imparting distance learning guides want a minimal 3.26 NAAC accreditation and should feature in the NIRF ranking of one hundred institutes. It is likewise obligatory for institutes to comply with nice norms on examining the material of the respective difficulty.
