A convergence between the conventional university and open and distance learning (ODL) systems is something that’s been in the pipeline for quite sometime now. Both educationists and policy makers agree that there is a growing need to enhance the quality of higher education in our country. After several brainstorming sessions about the feasibility of introducing a new scheme, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is now proposing radical changes at the level of higher education in India.

Conceived jointly by the University Grants Commission (UGC), IGNOU, Distance Education Council and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) — under the guidance of the Union ministry of human resources development, the ‘Scheme on Convergence of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and Conventional Systems’ intends to bridge the gap between the two modes of education. Some of the proposals include value-added programmes, dual and joint degrees, among others.

As part of the value-added programme, regular students of a university or a college can even enrol for IGNOU’s certificate and diploma programmes. In other words, a student can obtain two qualifications at the end of graduation, one from the university level and the other from IGNOU.

The value-added programme will benefit people like Jai Narayan who feel that they can do a lot more than just their college education. “I did a certificate course in creative writing from IGNOU along with my graduation three years ago, but I could not include it in my CV, because then it was considered illegal to acquire two different qualifications in the same year. However, students can now show that they indeed did something other than just studying what they were supposed to,” says Narayan.

“Multitasking is the order of the day and upgradation of skills play a role in the success of individuals, and these value-added courses are likely to help students in the future,” says Prof Omprakash Mishra, pro-vice-chancellor, IGNOU.

Other proposals include dual and joint degrees. While under the former, students enrolled in a regular course can simultaneously take a degree of the same level from IGNOU, in the latter, IGNOU and a college or a university can enter into an agreement to launch new programmes.

If an institution thinks that offering additional papers from IGNOU can strengthen some of its own courses, both can enter into an agreement to offer a joint degree. IGNOU is offering to supplement the face-to-face instruction of the conventional university with an ODL component. It will also provide the technology and multimedia support wherever the joint degree programmes will be launched.

As part of the dual degree scheme, students will have the option of pursuing their degree from two different universities without a break. Elaborating on the scheme, another pro vice-chancellor of IGNOU, Latha Pillai adds, “A student pursuing graduation from a regular college can switch over to IGNOU's course from the second or third year under the credit transfer scheme.”

“For this to happen, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between IGNOU and the university is necessary,” says Pillai. One of the features of the new scheme is that even individual colleges can now enter into an agreement with IGNOU, after seeking permission from the university the college is affiliated to. “In our guidelines, we have consciously used the word institution wherever we talk of implementing our proposals. It means even colleges can enter into an MOU with us,” says Mishra.

Institutions that enter into an MOU will initially transact the IGNOU syllabus through ODL / face-to-face. The faculty will be trained by IGNOU to conduct contact sessions, assignments and tests. “These are nothing less than revolutionary changes in the university system. Now the ball is in the court of these institutions to enter into an understanding with IGNOU,” says Mishra. The response from the universities has been encouraging, according to IGNOU.

“Our interaction with various vice-chancellors across the country in recent times have enriched us and we might make slight changes to our proposals before sending them for their consideration, but we have received hundreds of applications in response to our guidelines,” says Pillai.

Delhi University has already announced that it will be collaborating with IGNOU to develop common course materials for its correspondence programmes and textbooks. The credit transfer system is also likely to be tried out. Dibrugarh University is also in talks with IGNOU.

Through the newly evolved system, the government hopes to achieve the target of 15 per cent of the relevant age group in higher education (gross enrolment ratio) in the next five years. Currently it is at 10 per cent.

According to IGNOU, internationally, ODL and technology-enabled distance education is gaining acceptance for mass higher education in the areas of liberal arts, humanities, computer and information sciences, management sciences and to a considerable extent even in basic experimental sciences.

“In the next few years, more than the universities, it is the students who are likely to demand for such innovative schemes,” says Mishra.