Transforming and empowering higher education through Open and Distance Learning in India

 

It is important to discuss the immediate need to face the factors affecting Higher education like, need for adequate funds for expansion, providing room for equal access to learning, research on cost benefit analysis, educational innovations and partnership, use of educational technology & quality assurance mechanism.

In the recent times, Open Distance Learning as the most effective tool of all time. It has been argued that the higher educational providers play a significant role with respect to impart need-based education that would make the people truly educated with a progressive, rational, analytical, and skilful mind.

It further highlights higher education as the need of the hour and suggests that education can boost the human resources and significantly improve their socio-economic conditions. It states, that human capital can only be brought to pace with good quality higher education. In the SDGs and how higher education is placed as Goal 4 which targets to achieve the inclusive and equitable quality education, and to promote life-long learning opportunities for all.

The challenges to higher education which includes,  enrolment into the higher education programme, the GER in Higher education, low number of colleges running postgraduate level programmes, Few enrolments in professional, technical and vocational courses, etc., Thus need-based higher education is an absolute necessity for the country in order to boost enrolment ratio in higher education.

It is crucial to understand how transformative ODL could be as a mode through which the system of Higher Education can be geeredup and empowered to provide quality education. in the country. ODL can provide justice to millions of people in achieving the motto of higher education (access, equity, quality, innovation and research). Finally, ODL can lead to the development of the capabilities of the people and make them productive and empowered citizens. In fact, higher education should build up the capacity of the people by disseminating knowledge and information, and making them competent with the required and essential skills that will finally lead to a productive and empowered group of citizens in the society. Thus, it will lead to the positive social and economic transformation in the society.

The ODL mode of education, because of its flexibility and low cost, has the potential to create the knowledge-movement in every aspect of human life in society, which can lead to sustainable as well as dignified living among the concerned stakeholders, and which can further transform and mould the society in the intended direction.

Lastly, ODL has been proven to be the most effective tool for quality higher education at a cheaper cost. It demands that the ODL institutions should engage themselves in need based & skill based courses in order attract large enrolments which could pave its way to transform the current state of Higher Education in India.