About Distance Education
The open and distance learning system in India has emerged as an important mode
for providing education to diverse sections of society. Besides, the changing dynamics
of the ODL system in the last six decades have been encouraging. With the proliferation
in the ICT, the boundaries of classroom or campus are becoming blurred. As it is
said, the temporal and spatial boundaries have disappeared ( Kulandaiswamy, 2011).
The impressive number of ODL institutions in the country bear testimony to the fact.
Single-mode open universities have increased from four in number during the 8th
Plan period to 14 in the 10th Plan period. The number of dual mode universities
offering programmes through the distance mode (DEIs) has risen to more than 200.
This is due to the fact that the growth in the infrastructure for face-to-face instruction
is unable to match the educational demands of the ever-increasing number of aspiring
students. At present nearly 25% students of higher education in the country are
enrolled in the ODL system.
In the last six decades the ODL system has registered a phenoimenal growth in the
context of expansion and diversification of higher education. From a single institution
in 1962 ( Delhi University) the number of ODL institutions has reached approximately
250 including Central, State, Deemed to be and Private Universities along with many
stand alone institutions.