Role of Open Universities in the Indian Education Sector
In India, there are close to 600 million elementary to PG students and 40 million of them are in the higher education sector, as per the Govt records with 1,072 universities and 43,796 collages, making it the largest higher education system in the world. According to a KPMG study, the education market of India is set to reach US$200 Billion by 2025. The online education market, post pandemic, has grown significantly in India and it is now the second largest e-learning market after the US in the world. In financial year 2020–21, 41.4 million students enrolled in higher education, an increase from 38.5 million in the previous year, and the Union Budget has shown a proportionate 13.06% YoY increase in its allocation for the sector to match the demand. The National Education Policy (NEP) of 2020, the National Digital Education Architecture (NDEA) of 2020, the New India Literacy Program for adult education are all examples of how India aims to increase its Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education, including vocational education, from 26.3% in 2018 to 50% by 2035. Once achieved, it is envisaged that India will emerge as the largest provider of global talent with at least one in four graduates in the world being a product of the Indian Higher Education System.
To give you a bird’s eye view of the education vertical in India, it is a mix of Public and Private initiatives. Under the Public system, there are 1) Schools, 2) Central Govt Funded Institutions, 3) State Govt Funded Institutions and 4) Higher Education Institutions. Under the Private Sector, there are 1) Schools and 2) Higher Education Institutions. However there is an unorganised and informal sector in the system as well. They comprise of Pre-Schools, Coaching Classes, Multimedia Schools, Vocational Training Centres and Education Material Suppliers etc.
In early 2010, we were having a coffee break conversation on how one of our our colleagues needed some upskilling for a promotion but could not get a study leave to go and get it for himself. That’s when I stumbled upon an online advertisement about an open university that offered distance education options. When I looked into it, I was pleasantly surprised. The fees were lower, they had partnership with most of the other top universities who were providing the materials, the education was delivered by eminent academicians and one could actually get a post graduate degree by investing some flexible hours of time per week from home, for the duration of the course! Well, that was a practical and feasible solution for my friend.
The first open university in the world was established in Milton Keynes in the UK in 1969 with a mission to be “open to people, places, methods and ideas” — a brilliant concept it was, and still is. It is that flexibility, that grabs my attention and more so in current times. With emerging cutting edge technologies such as AI, ML, IoT and Blockchain, the entire education system is redefiniing itself and more so in India with the introduction of the nation-wide PM eVIDYA initiative during the pandemic times as a prime example. This is where I feel, the Anywhere-Anytime Open Universities solution has a much greater potential with its inherent flexibility to expand the outreach of higher education to meet the 50% GER aspirations of India. It is important to note that Open Universities of India can also enrol International Students from all across the world, providing them with a much more affordable but top class higher education option, making India, a Global Education Hub.
While discussing this, we need to take into account, not just the affordability of courses in Open Universities but all of their other benefits. The statistics prove that the Open Universities have attracted women students of all hues, provided many of them the first chance to pursue an university education. They have also increased access for other disadvantaged groups including older students, geographically isolated students or excluded learners because of their job or shift pattern, seasonal or other kinds of work and family or community commitments. They have been successful in making much needed education accessible to certain disadvanteged students from the aboriginal communities and prisoners too. There are some specific areas of unique advantages and they are listed below.
Open Geography : India is a nation where approximately 70% its population live in rural and remote areas. For many of them, relocating to an urban/semi-urban location where there is a university and to afford the related costs such as hostel fees etc., are just not affordable or practical. With an Open University course, they can learn, get skilled and certified without the need to leave their homes and commitments.
Affordable : Open Universities usually have lower tuition fees compared to conventional universities. Additionally, students save on costs related to commuting, housing, and other campus-related expenses, making education more affordable.
Flexible : In an Open University, students have the flexibility to study at their own pace, allowing them to balance their education with work, family responsibilities, and other commitments.
Learn anytime in life : In this era of constant changes, most of us have to have a continuous improvement/up-skilling/re-skilling cycle. In an Open University, people can learn lifelong, whenever they have the need to upgrade their skills, change careers, or simply pursue personal interests and intellectual growth. Many older learners and those with social limitations, can have their learning without feeling pressured and in their own privacy.
Need based Learning : With new concepts such as “On-Demand Recruitment” as a way to get employment and need for Customised Learning to meet specific demands in the new age, conventional universities fail to provide the required flexibility. Open Universities only, can offer the wider variety of courses and modules to create a curriculum that aligns with the specific interests and career goals of an individual.
Tech based : It is much easier to integrate cutting edge technology in an online distance learning environment than in a conventional setting. With the Gen-Z, visual learning is a preferred way of learning compared to classroom lectures. eLeaning platform being the vehicle for knowledge distribution in an Open University, most of the content can be tailored to newer methods of teaching and sharing study materials.
Diverse Learning : Learning is not limited to a formal degree based course. In a corporate, the employees need to be educated on variety of short courses such as OH&S as an example. Other life-skill courses need such as plumbing, brick laying, a particular agriculture method, babysitting, shoe repairing etc., and the list goes on, provides meaningful self-employment to people. An Open University can provide a much more diverse range of courses in an online setting with exams and certifications at the end to emsure people learn properly to make an income or employers take them in with confidence.
There are so many other benefits of Open Universities and they do have a need to co-exist with the conventional universities with equal emphasis, support and investment to ensure people from all walks of life and a much larger section of the population, who don’t find a campus based solution practical for their needs, aren’t deprived of learning and acquiring new skills. New methods of teaching & learning need to be advocated to democratize education and reach out to those sections of society which had remained neglected and ignored, and to provide continuing education to the working professionals in their leisure time.
A network of State Open Universities with a new, separate and specific National Governing Body to manage, maintain and improve them can fill in the critical gap in our educational system.
Each state, who have established an Open University need to realise their future potential and significantly invest efforts and funds into it to be future ready.
