By: Shree1news, 06 MAR 2021
Bhubaneswar: The All India Council For Technical Education (AICTE) has issued Open and Distance Learning Education and Online Education) Guidelines, 2021 through a gazette notification.
Earlier, the AICTE had issued the guidelines in 2019 for imparting education via Open and Distance Learning(ODL) mode by Standalone Institutions and Institutions-Deemed to be Universities.
The guidelines had been subsequently amended in 2020 in order to bring in conformity with UGC (Open and Distance Learning) Regulations, 2017 & UGC Rules, 2018.
As the new National Education Policy (NEP)-2020 has laid emphasis on increasing Gross Enrolment Ratio(GER) via using technology and ICT, AICTE has framed comprehensive Guidelines for imparting education via ODL & On-line mode to fulfil the goals of NEP-2020.
These guidelines relevant for higher academic institutions, Standalone Institutions, Institutions-Deemed to be Universities and Universities for conducting programs of technical education in the area of Management and allied areas, Computer Applications, Artificial Intelligence and Data Science in the Engineering & Technology domain, Logistics and Travel & Tourism, via Open and Distance Learning and / or On-line (ODL-Online) Education mode in line with the UGC (Open and Distance Learning Programmes and Online Programmes) Regulations, 2020.
Recognition of Institutions for open and distance learning (ODL) mode and online programmes:
Institutional Level Eligibility Criteria: Any Institution, could apply for offering programmes via the Open and Distance Learning mode and / or Online mode, which fulfils the next conditions, namely;
(a) Institutions having NAAC score of 3.26 and above on a scale of 4 or NBA Score of 700 on a scale of 1000 or having rank in Top-100 in University category of National Institutional Ranking Framework, at least twice in three preceding cycles (at the time of application), shall be permitted to start out full-fledged ODL courses and / or
Online courses with out prior approval of the AICTE only within the NBA accredited programmes, offered it satisfies all the conditions mentioned in these regulations:
Provided also that Institutions shall be required to submit application and desired information, and comply to all of the provisions of the Guidelines and shall be required to submit an affidavit to the AICTE.
Source:A-N