IGNOU ASSIGNMENT REFERENCE MATERIAL (2017-18) M.E.S.-101 HIGHER EDUCATION: ITS CONTEXT AND LINKAGES
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IGNOU ASSIGNMENT REFERENCE MATERIAL (2017-18) M.E.S.-101 HIGHER EDUCATION: ITS CONTEXT AND LINKAGES
Q1. What do you understand by Academic Freedom in the context of the University system? How does it help to promote creativity and professionalism?
Ans. Academic freedom is one of the most important qualities of higher education and research. New knowledge cannot easily be developed if established dogmas cannot be questioned. The quality of education and research therefore depends on academic freedom and institutional autonomy. Academic freedom refers to the freedom of individual members of the academic community to pursue their research, teaching and learning. In the words of the Magna Charta Universitatum (Fundamental principles, para. 3), “Freedom in research and training is the fundamental principle of university life, and governments and universities, each as far as in them lies, must ensure respect for this fundamental requirement. Rejecting intolerance and always open to dialogue, a university is an ideal meeting-ground for teachers capable of imparting their knowledge and well equipped to develop it by research and innovation and for students entitled, able and willing to enrich their minds with that knowledge.”
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Q2. How does University Grants Commission (UGC) maintain standard in higher education in the country? Discuss in the light of its mandate and some recent initiatives.
Ans. From ancient Bharat to modern India, higher education has always occupied a place of prominence in Indian history. In ancient times, Nalanda, Taxila and Vikramsila universities were renowned seats of higher learning, attracting students not only from all over the country but from far off countries like Korea, China, Burma (now Myanmar), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Tibet and Nepal. Today, India manages one of the largest higher education systems in the world. The present system of higher education dates back to Mountstuart Elphinstone’s minutes of 1823, which stressed on the need for establishing schools for teaching English and the European sciences. Later, Lord Macaulay, in his minutes of 1835, advocated “efforts to make natives of the country thoroughly good English scholars”. Sir Charles Wood’s Despatch of 1854, famously known as the ‘Magna Carta of English Education in India’, recommended creating a properly articulated scheme of education from the primary school to the university. It sought to encourage indigenous education and planned the formulation of a coherent policy of education. Subsequently, the universities of Calcutta, Bombay (now Mumbai) and Madras were set up in 1857, followed by the University of Allahabad in 1887.
Mandate: The UGC has the unique distinction of being the only grant-giving agency in the country, which has been vested with two responsibilities that of providing funds and that of co-ordination, determination and maintenance of standards in institutions of higher education.
Recent initiatives: Some of the major initiatives taken by the UGC in improving the quality and standards of higher education are as follows:
(1) improvements in the quality and standards of teaching and research, through programmes for setting up Centres of Advanced Study and Research, improvement in college teaching, strengthening research and infrastructure, etc.;
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Q3. Why is there a need for Open and Distance Learning System (ODLS) at the tertiary level in India? What are the challenges which the Open and Distance Learning System are likely to face? Explain
Ans. Need
(1) Collaborative Education: Collaborative education is an emerging concept in the Indian education system, whose basic idea is to promote the interaction and sharing of knowledge for the enhancement, creation and expansion of new knowledge. Any institution has its premises of generating knowledge, which can be enriched by introducing the culture of collaborative education
(2) Transnational Education: Transnational education refers to a situation where the educational provider and the students opting for education are located in different countries. The education discourses between the education providers and students are carried out through multiple means, namely, mail, computer network, teleconferencing, radio or television network, etc.
Challenges
IGNOU has taken a few initiatives which have wider implications for distance education system in particular and higher education in general. A few of these are outlined below, and reflect if such initiatives have the potential to further reform higher education in the country.
