The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Accreditation method sought for open universities

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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Accreditation method sought for open universities

Special Correspondent

Emphasis of vocational education discussed
Meeting discusses offering distance education online

CHENNAI: The Distance Education Council (DEC) has to evolve a method to provide accreditation to open universities, said Om Prakash Mishra, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University, here on Saturday.

Prof. Mishra, who briefed journalists about the two-day meeting of vice-chancellors of open universities, said a decision to this effect was taken at the meeting.

It felt that accreditation should be based on the pattern of National Accreditation Council of the University Grants Commission and the National Board of Accreditation of the All India Council of Technical Education. It also discussed offering distance education online.

Prof. Mishra said the distance education was now being offered through print media. It should be enhanced to online learning and web-based education.

DEC should provide financial support to all open universities to improve infrastructure and to generate e-content.

Similarly, the DEC should organise training programmes for the faculty of all State open universities to generate e-content, using the available software, it was decided at the meeting.

Another suggestion was to provide higher education to school dropouts through community college system. They could be given skill-based education initially, and then allowed vertical mobility to go for higher education in open distance learning and conventional systems.

Pat for State

The initiative of the Tamil Nadu government in this regard was appreciable, which was recommended as a model to be followed by other State Open Universities, Prof. Mishra said. It was decided at the meeting that the vocational education should be given importance through distance education. The successful models of Tamil Nadu Open University and Maharashtra Open University could be followed, sharing their expertise and resources, Prof. Mishra said.

Vice-Chancellors from a dozen open universities participated.

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