The pandemic has changed the delivery system of education. How have Indian universities coped?
Ever since campuses closed in March, face-to-face teaching-learning-evaluation and field-laboratory-based research activities have come to a halt, and technology-enabled academic activities have been initiated. The UGC is closely observing the situation, taking timely decisions and issuing advisories and guidelines to address challenges related to health, examinations and academic calendar; accommodation and food for hostel residents; logistics and campus life. As India has a diverse set of educational institutions located in different parts of country, ranging from metros to tribal areas, Indian universities and colleges are still evolving various innovative delivery systems of education, including technology-enabled solutions.
UGC recognises the importance of direct connection and frequent exchange of dialogue between the teacher and the taught, for which the traditional face- to-face education is a must. But keeping in view the benefits of ICT tools and also to prepare for meeting challenges like the present one, in future, UGC would like to promote a blended mode of teaching and learning.
Exams, in particular, are turning out to be a challenge. Your comments.
Examinations are an integral part of the education system and a measure of the student's knowledge, abilities, competencies, skills and other dimensions of performance. Examinations are needed to uphold the academic integrity and to ensure academic credibility, career opportunities and future prospects of students globally. On July 6, we revised our April guidelines on examinations and academic year, extending the timeline for completing terminal semester/final year exams to September end. The guidelines also offered the flexibility of offline (pen & paper), online and blended (online plus offline) mode of examinations. Universities and colleges may adopt any of the suggested options. Blended mode is a solution to sites crashing and other connectivity related issues.
The UGC is ensuring that students are not put to any inconvenience in the COVID-19 scenario. In case the student of terminal semester/final year is unable to appear in the examination, whatsoever the reason may be, the student will be given opportunity to appear in special examinations for such courses or papers, which may be conducted by universities as and when feasible. The UGC guidelines also offered flexibility to institutions to enable them to safeguard the principles of health, safety, fair and equal opportunity. The examinations are required to be conducted by following the SOP formulated by the MHRD and duly vetted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Last academic year, UGC announced universities could start online degree courses. What is the status?
In order to enhance access, equity, gross enrolment ratio and to promote quality online education in the country, UGC had notified UGC (Online Courses or Programmes) Regulations, 2018. In January 2020, UGC recognised seven universities for 37 programmes at various levels.
The COVID-19 pandemic has made universities prepare themselves on priority basis for delivering quality online education. We are confident that many universities will start offering online programmes in the near future. UGC will put in place a monitoring mechanism to ensure that the online programmes of Indian universities are of global standards. Many foreign students are also expected to register for them.
The Commission has decided to permit universities, based on NAAC or NIRF benchmarks, to offer online programmes. Shortly, we will notify new regulations to enable 100 top universities to start online programmes automatically, and many other universities to start online programmes with prior UGC permission.
How long do you foresee the effects of the ongoing pandemic to impact regular classes?
It would be difficult to foresee the impact of the ongoing pandemic on regular classes. We are reassessing the situation constantly. Considering the unprecedented nature of pandemic, we have to be pragmatic and flexible about reopening campuses. Institutions need to plan meticulously to adhere to the norms of physical distancing. Perhaps, it may be prudent to plan re-opening campuses in a phased manner, gradually increasing number of students over a period of time. At any given time, some students may attend classes physically, while others may join online. Alternatively, some students may attend class physically and others may be engaged in the labs at the same time. Institutions may also extend online support for teaching and learning to those who may prefer to study from home.
In a country like India, where disparities are huge, how badly will an online-oriented approach to education impact students whose access to internet is not smooth?
At present, the higher education landscape has three modes—conventional, open and distance learning (ODL) and full-fledged online. All three modes provide learning opportunities focusing on the educational needs of the learners with diversified background. UGC is aware of the issues and limitations that confront us with regard to expansion of online education. UGC also attaches due importance to direct interface and frequent exchange of dialogue between the teachers and the taught, for which the traditional system of face-to-face education is a must. In my opinion, blending learning with higher component of ODL/online education will be the future mode of education. Recently, we took a decision that universities may offer up to 40 per cent credits through MOOCS courses on SWAYAM platform.
With social distancing going to be the norm now, technology-enabled education will be important for timely completion of academics and all universities should put efforts towards this end. While promoting online education, the challenge is to ensure that equal opportunities are provided to the learners. We will request universities to extend all possible support, infrastructure and technology, to needy learners. The human resources ministry is facilitating educational connectivity in remote areas. Swayam Prabha, a group of 32 DTH channels, is another initiative which [will help] students in remote areas with limited internet facilities.
What lessons of the pandemic will impact on university education in the long term?
COVID-19 will impact higher education in many ways including the teaching-learning process, governance, research, health of the stakeholders and skill development. Online education or technology enabled learning is the need of the hour, but even after the pandemic is contained, we feel that the norms of physical distancing will be required for quite some time. Also, we have to prepare ourselves to meet such type of eventualities in future. UGC is working on different dimensions to enhance the scope of online education. We have decided to increase the component of online education in conventional universities from the existing 20 to 40 per cent. UGC is deliberating on integration of ODL and Online Regulations and promotion of effective utilisation of technology. Recent initiatives of the Government of India such as “PM-eVidya Programme” and “One Nation, One Digital Platform”, allowing the Top 100 universities of the country to offer online teaching will go a long way in promoting online learning, too.
The present generation of learners are quick to adapt to technology, but there is a need for capacity building of faculty and strengthening of the ICT infrastructure. The human resource ministry is organising short-term programmes to prepare teachers for online education.
With travel restrictions in countries like the US, do you think Indian universities could benefit? Do we have enough college seats to cater to the requirement? And do you think we will be able to attract more foreign students to our campuses?
Considering that United States is the most preferred destinations for Indian students preferring to study abroad, with almost two lakh Indian students there, travel restrictions will surely impact the prospects of many. Our approach is not to look at the development as benefitting us, but with focus on quality upgradation, our universities are equipped and prepared to cater to the increase in prospective students preferring to study here, rather than going abroad. But definitely, this gives an opportunity to tap these bright minds to study in India. With many of our universities providing world class education, we expected that these students will not miss much.
Our higher education sector is consistently expanding and can cater to the increased demand. UGC has provided flexibility and autonomy to increase the intake in the well performing institutions.
Regarding attracting foreign students, with the pandemic, student mobility will be an issue. But we are continuously working to balance the inward mobility with outward mobility. Even before the pandemic, we were taking various steps to increase academic collaboration with foreign universities and to attract foreign students to India. Schemes like Study in India are designed to increase inward mobility of students.
What is the number of students seeking college education every year, and how many seats are available for them across universities? How many more universities does India require to meet the shortfall? India is a Young Nation with a population of 14 crore in the 18-23 year age group. Estimated Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education in India is 26.3. During the academic year 2018-19, 3.74 crore students enrolled in various courses at all levels in universities /colleges/stand-alone institutions of higher Education. As per AISHE Portal 2018-19, 1.34 lakh students took admission in the first year of undergraduate courses.
The number of colleges and universities is expanding continuously. There were 621 universities and 32,974 colleges in 2010-11, whereas in 2018-19 the numbers increased to 993 universities and 39,931 colleges in the country and this will continue to expand to meet the shortfall.
The UGC rolled out the Institutes of Eminence programme a couple of years ago. What is the aim of the IOE, and what progress has been made in this direction? The finance minister, in his budget speech 2016, committed for formulation of a detailed scheme to empower higher educational institutions to help them become world class teaching and research institutions. Subsequently, the human resource ministry, on UGC's recommendation, approved 20 institutions, ten each from public and private sector, for upgrading into IoEs. We expect the selected institutions to come up in top 500 of the world ranking in ten years, and in top 100, eventually. For this, IoEs are given greater autonomy in deciding course structure, hours and years to take a degree and complete flexibility in fixing curriculum and syllabus; in admitting foreign students and faculty, in collaborating with top institutions in the world without UGC permits.