Indira Gandhi National Open
University
Today, the Open Learning System through the distance mode of education
has come to be accepted as a well - relevant to and necessary for
meeting the emerging demands of our society. Because of its inherent
potential and flexibility, the open learning system has spread over
more than 105 countries through 900 institutions, which offer well
over 16,000 courses to some 18 million learners all over the world.
In India, the Open Learning System through IGNOU at the national
level and 9 State Open Universities at the State levels has taken
root in the country. This is in addition to more than 53 institutes/directorates
of distance/open education located in the conventional system, which
are also a part of the open learning system in India. The inherent
flexibility of the system, particularly its potential to reach a
large number of learners simultaneously with relevant programmes,
enables it to cater to the needs of a varied clientele.
The areas hitherto untouched by the conventional system have now
gradually been taken care of by the open learning system. The Yashwantrao
Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU) conducts programmes in
home gardening, fruit production, vegetable production, floriculture
and landscape gardening for farmers, farm labourers and rural youth.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University, Hyderabad offers programmes in
mushroom cultivation. U.P. Rajarshi Tandon Open University offers
a programme in Desk Top Publishing. At the National Open School,
vocational education is being offered along side the formal academic
courses. The areas addressed under vocational education at the School
level by NOS include engineering and technology, agriculture, business
and commerce, home science, health and paramedical studies and computers.
IGNOU has been making pioneering efforts in offering programmes
in as many as 50 areas covering a very wide range of subjects such
as computers, nursing, management, creative writing, rural development,
Panchayati Raj, disaster management, participatory forest management,
tourism, women's empowerment and so on. Keeping in view the challenge
of reaching millions of un-reached people spread throughout the
country with an effective multi-media package, which will not only
help to overcome illiteracy but also help to generate employment
potential, the open learning system happens to be the chosen mode
for such programmes of education and training.
Existing Scenario
in Distance Education in India
Open
Learning System (OLS)
The Open Learning System has been popular through
distance education programme all over the world. In the Indian context,
the ideas of Universalisation of Elementary Education and democratisation
of education as a whole have strengthened the base of OLS. The School
of Correspondence Courses and Continuing Education (Delhi University),
set up in 1962, was the first correspondence school in India. At
present, there are 64 dual mode universities, which offer correspondence
courses in different fields leading to diplomas and degrees.
Open
Universities
The idea of establishing an Open University to offer
quality education to the "much larger body of population, which
remains outside the university system" was proposed as early as
1970 in a seminar organised by Government of India. Following the
recommendation of the seminar, the Government of India appointed
an eight-member Working Group, which recommended the establishment
of an Open University. The Government of Andhra Pradesh established
the first Open University, Andhra Pradesh Open University in August
1982 (renamed as Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University (BRAOU) in 1991)
. The actual functioning of the APOU started during 1983-84 session.
The union government made a policy statement for established of
a National Open University in 1985. The Indira Gandhi National Open
University (IGNOU) came into being in 1985 by an Act of Parliament.
IGNOU is one of the largest distance education networks in the world.
Encouraged by the success of IGNOU and BRAOU, other states like
Rajasthan, Bihar, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal,
Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh have established sate open Universities.
Following are the Open Universities in India:
1. Indira Gandhi National Open University
2. Dr. B R Ambedkar Open University (earlier known as Andhra Pradesh
Open University) (Andhra Pradesh)
3. Yashwantrao Chauhan Maharashtra Open University (Maharashtra)
4. Kota Open University (Rajasthan)
5. Nalanda Open University (Bihar)
6. Madhya Pradesh Bhoj (Open) University (Madhya Pradesh)
7. Karnataka State Open University (Karnataka)
8. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Open University (Gujarat)
9. Netaji Subhas Open University (West Bengal)
10. Rajarshi Tandon U P Open University (Uttar Pradesh)
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