Good news is round the corner for students keen to take up distance education courses. They now have a wider choice of study centres to choose from. In a meeting held on March 23 this year, the department of distance education (DEC) decided that it would not insist that institutions offering programmes via distance mode follow territorial jurisdiction. The new statute dictates that universities will now be governed by their own act and statutes for the courses they offer.

Universities that are already offering distance education courses welcome this move. They see it as a window of opportunity to cater to the diverse needs of students. Institutes such as Jadavpur University are already in the process of negotiating with the DEC to expand the range of operation of distance education courses.

“In the wake of the recent announcement, we will set up new study centres in places such as Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Assam, since there is a huge demand for our courses there,” says Samar Bhattacharya, coordinator of the directorate of distance education at Jadavpur University.

Despite the growing number of conventional institutes in India, they cater to only 80 per cent of the nation’s students. “Distance education institutes take care of the remaining 20 per cent,” says Dipak Kumar Roy, registrar of Netaji Subhas Open University in Calcutta. Today, distance education degrees are considered to be on a par with regular ones. Many students have gone on to enrol at universities for further studies after completing a distance education course without facing any difficulties. “It gives us great pleasure to note that our students have gained admission in Calcutta and Jadavpur Universities,” says Ashit Baran Aich, director of study centres, Netaji Subhas Open University.

That is why DEC’s new resolution is all the more welcome. “During a recent meeting of the DEC, we observed that stakeholders in distance education were facing problems due to restrictions imposed on setting up study centres in various territories,” says Swaraj Basu, director of DEC.

According to him, the decision to relax territorial jurisdiction was taken so that “universities could reach out to a larger section of students without compromising on the quality of courses offered”.

Under the new guidelines, universities would have to ensure that the study centres they open adhere to the DEC guidelines on core faculty, regional services, counselling, learning support and other ancillary items. Also, according to a MoU signed by DEC, University Grants Commission (UGC) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) on May 10 this year, a joint committee will be formed to lay down the norms for accreditation of distance courses proposed by universities.

“This will make it simpler for universities. Recognition of a course by the DEC would denote approval of the UGC, AICTE or both since the new committee would have members from all three institutions,” points out Basu.

At present Jadavpur University offers two distance education courses — a two-year course in multimedia and web technology and a three-year MTech in information technology. “We are the first in the country to offer an MTech in distance education,” says Bhattacharya.

IGNOU currently offers 1,000 courses and 127 programmes of study. In West Bengal alone, IGNOU has identified 3,00,000 teachers who are working without proper teacher training qualifications. “We have started a joint scheme with NCERT to provide distance learning teacher training programmes for individuals who cannot enrol for a conventional course while working,” says Ghosh.

IGNOU has also initiated a postgraduate diploma course in cardiology to bridge the gap between general practitioners and cardiologists in villages. “This course is an attempt at convergence of traditional and open systems of education that would benefit people in marginalised areas,” says Ghosh.

Some, however, are a little sceptical of the new development. “We have always offered courses anywhere in India under the Rabindra Bharati Act of 1981 and do not have to kowtow to any order laid down by any other university,” emphasises Santosh Kumar Ghorai, director of distance education at Rabindra Bharati University in Calcutta. The university offers courses in fine arts and visual arts all over India.

The best part is that students who have taken up distance education courses get lucrative job offers. “Our MBA students have received starting salaries in the range of Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000 in reputed firms and many qualify for School Service Commission jobs,” points out Shorasi Mohan Da, registrar of Burdwan University.

New schemes in distance education in India also include collaborations with foreign universities. Jadavpur University is designing distance education courses in partnership with Dhaka University, University of Vienna and Brunel University of the UK.

So the new move will ensure that like music, education will literally transcend borders.