Distance education in Gujarat finds many takers

AHMEDABAD: While there is a lot of activity going on in the corridors of higher education with vice-chancellors putting their heads together to thrash out issues related to self-finance education, serious thought is also being given to promotion of distance education. With number of higher education seekers showing a quantum jump, universities in the state have decided to devise ways to promote distance learning programs.
“We accepted in principle in the meeting of the joint board of vicechancellors to promote guided distance learning by promoting dual mode of higher education where both conventional and distance education is offered,� said South Gujarat University V-C Premkumar Sharda.
The importance of distance education could be gauged from the fact that two prominent open universities in the state, Indira Gandhi Open University (IGNOU) and Baba Saheb Ambedkar Open University, have shown a quantum jump in their enrolments last year and are anticipating an even bigger rise in the coming academic session.
“Although demand for our IT courses has depleted, there has been a growing interest in conventional subjects such as library science or MA in English, for instance.
In fact, we register between 12,000 and 15,000 students every year with the cumulative number standing at 25,000 in 2002,� said regional director of IGNOU Kalpana Mishra. She further said that the Distance Education Council (DEC), statutory body of IGNOU, was thinking of bringing legal studies and agriculture under the ambit of its courses.
“To promote distance learning, we have begun a country-wide exercise to identify universities that offer distance-learning programs and catalogue them. If they want, we could grant them recognition after vetting the quality of the courses,� Mishra added.
IGNOU presently runs special centres in Madanagar near Palanpur, Anera in Himmatnagar, Blind Person’s Association and Sabarmati Jail in Ahmedabad.
Meanwhile, the state government too is interested in making distance education accessible, especially in the tribal belt. It has already apportioned funds to open centres in collaboration with IGNOU in this belt.
“We have identified six centres in the tribal belt (Purvapatti), where we want IGNOU to set up centres and begin courses from this academic session,� said principal secretary tribal development AK Luke. Learning would be facilitated by satellite centres and audio-video system, explained Mishra.
The tenth five-year plan envisages distance learners to form forty per cent of the community of higher education seekers according to VC of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University K D Vasava.
“The only mode of education viable for our country is distance learning. This, considering that only about six per cent students in the age-group of 18-23 years are availing conventional mode of education at present,� Vasava added. Ambedkar University itself enrolled about 57,000 students in 2002.
“In the next academic session we expect at least 8,000-10,000 more entries,� Vasava said. The university runs 35 satellite centres in rural centres. The university also plans to organise special counselling sessions at the panchayat level in conjunction with the ministry rural development this academic year.
Distance education in Gujarat finds many takers Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University enrolled about 57,000 students in 2002, and expects around 10,000 more entries in the next academic session