Vellore: The Distance Education Council of India Bill, which allows higher education institutes to set up study centres under the Open and Distance Education mode across the country and abroad, is expected to be tabled in Parliament soon. Speaking to Deccan Chronicle on the sidelines of the South Zone Vice-Chancellors’ conference at VIT University, here on Saturday, Prof N.R. Madhava Menon, chancellor, Guru Ghasidas Central University, Chhattisgarh, who headed the Committee for Reforms in Open Distance Learning, said that his team had submitted the report a year ago.
“We have recommended the provision of good quality study materials and study centres and answering students’ questions in a timely manner,” he said. The committee has also recommended creation of a dedicated Distance Education Council under the Parliament’s legislation, like the University Grants Commission (UGC). “The Distance Education Council should be able to control distance education programmes in central, state and private universities. It is a technology-driven programme that needs a different set of regulations, and one for which the government should create a separate distance education council,” the chancellor added.
When asked about lack of quality in franchises that run distance education programmes, Prof Menon said that as long as these programmes were run by regular colleges with regular faculty they would not face problems, but when they were franchised to a panchayat or hotel, problems cropped up.
Earlier, at the conference, VIT University chancellor Dr. G.Viswanathan urged the Union government to do away with the policy of affiliating colleges with universities, a practice existing only in India. Mr G.Viswanathan also exhorted the Union government to frame a national-level policy for scholarship so that even students from lower economic backgrounds could pursue higher education.
