Open and Distance Learning (ODL) has recently been proposed as a means for achieving universalisation of secondary education in India, especially for those belonging to weaker (financially, educationally etc.) and... [ view full abstract ]
Open and Distance Learning (ODL) has recently been proposed as a means for achieving universalisation of secondary education in India, especially for those belonging to weaker (financially, educationally etc.) and disadvantaged (geographically, culturally, socially etc.) sections. Secondary education here refers to both secondary (grades 9 and 10) and senior secondary (grade 11 and 12) level education in India. This is mainly expected to be realised through the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), managed by Government of India and State Open Schools (SOS), managed by respective states. This paper is based on a research conducted over last three years by Centre for Budget and Policy Studies (CBPS), Bangalore, India.
Based on an analysis of data from three sources: NIOS student data, tracer survey of about 1000 graduates and a primary survey of nearly 2000 currently enrolled learners in selected Indian states, the paper presents the main findings of the study. These are that: (i) the present system is not inclusive as it is not really reaching the marginalized. The flexibility is primarily being used by those who are trying to circumvent the rigid mainstream system for some reason or the other (ii) it is also not very efficient as only less than half of those enrolled complete the course and most leave in the first two years, implying that the main flexible feature - allowing five years to complete the course - is hardly being used. The majority of learners do not use the learning resources, pointing to systemic inefficiencies (iii) the technology-driven, direct delivery model is not working. Various kinds of intermediaries are facilitating the process and it is important to acknowledge that and reform the delivery design (iv) the technology-driven model has also led to the emergence of a number of unscrupulous processes leading to high out-of-pocket expenditure for learners (v) majority of learners are opting for this mode for the purpose of certification alone and not for learning, raising questions about effectiveness (vi) the demand for vocational courses has been limited and this raises a number of issues related to the reinforcement of gender stereotyping and (vii) ODL serves well in the labour market as a fulfilment of screening criteria but service industry employers are wary of their capacities.
Our main arguments are that (i) there exist thresholds on various fronts to make a technology-driven, ODL-based education model at the secondary level successful and these do not exist in Indian context. In most cases, especially in rural India (ii) direct delivery model calls for the kind of autonomy and motivation that is difficult to expect from individuals in the age-group of 14-18, and even more difficult for girls and those coming from disadvantaged positions (iii) any education model promoted as an option for those who have failed/dropped out gets stigmatised and raises issue of justice and fairness – applicable to the ODL-based secondary education policy and delivery in India (iv) reinforcement of gender stereotyping through content, courses on offer and mode of delivery is visible and (v) learning and certification are inter-linked but not the same and the ODL policies and processes currently do not seem to take this fact into account.
