Good one as far as open and distance learning is concerned. On-line courses though need of the hour should be introduced on trial basis, and after plugging all the existing loopholes if any then can be extended to other institutions that too in phased manner.

Asis written earlier indoor learning and outdoor learning both are needed to be promoted. lopsided achievements by focusing only on one aspect can do harm

we should have separate employable(short course) & research courses(take time).I focus on short employable courses as i have it background my exp is if we have multiple small course like web designing, programming, hardware, Artificial Intelligence, these all can be learn in short time of 6 to 12 month, and if an person knows any 1 of above becomes eligible to work in s/w projects. So students after 12th class they stud can enroll their self on such subject and get skill and get the job

I feel we should have specialized course instead of generalized and for such course gov should provide online resources free and some workshop(1 workshop should accommodate 2000 stu and may charge min) and paper should be conducted online by gov.So now stu can prepare subject he may get expertise on it & he need nt go 2 some private clg and pay high Fee.My Intention is our first priority should b to remove private players who on the name of English and Higher study cheating middle class families

In my opinion most of the rural students could not do their higher studies because of not getting the admissions to the courses in which they are interested or they do not have the money to take the admission. So in my opinion reputed institutes should start their online courses at very minimal cost/affordable to all. At the same time govt. should provide required infrastructure. So the students will do online courses and full fill their dream. Thus rural India will get empowered.

As is higher education, Open learning & distance education online or through post must be started in school education also, specially for students in villages. Online live classes could be started in distant villages where teacher can't reach. Smart online education system could be developed to educate students who want to study through distance learning programs at their homes. Tests could be taken either online or at the nearest city centers.

We believe that open and distance education has not worked and is unlikely to work for first-time learners who need to be able to interact with their faculty to dispel doubts, gain confidence and become self-learners. However, these can be used effectively for adult learning and for life-long learning purposes. Online courses, provided they are as well done as the courses in the US on edX, Coursera and other such new MOOC platforms, can also help with supplementary skilling.

Most Technology Enabled Learning needs (a) Device[Computer/Mobile] (b) Power (c) Connectivity - Can the government work with telecom companies to make the cost of downloading content from reputed sources like NPTEL/Coursera/Khan Academy/edX free of cost? This will help both teachers and students.

My Personal opinion and experience : Online courses are best for higher education students because school students are to be taught by teachers n mentored in live class. I have attended many online courses but the best way of organizing and educating through online is done by Infosys Organization for their employee in India.

Is there a requirement for a Govt approved special school to have RCI approval to start open school under NIOS? To my knowledge RCI is for conducting courses for Special education teachers. But they are insisting RCI approval for special schools to start open school. Can any body give expert opinion?