The most obvious place to start when looking at colleges and universities is location; however, that doesn’t become a factor when choosing an online university since you will going to school remotely. So what other factors should you consider when choosing a university?

Things to Consider

Accreditation – Of utmost importance is to find an accredited online university – not a diploma mill. Motivated by making a profit, diploma mills are non-accredited organizations that award degrees with poor or no academic study. They are more interested in taking your money than they are in providing you with a legitimate education or a degree that will help to further your career. Avoid these at all costs! While the thought of getting an online degree without any of the work at just a fraction of the cost may sound appealing, it’s just not worth the risk. People found using fake degrees can be denied employment, terminated, or in some cases actually face criminal charges.

Degree – Determine the type of degree that you are looking to receive. Whether it’s a bachelor’s degree, associate’s degree, master’s degree or PhD, different accredited online universities will offer different degree programs. You should choose a type of degree based on your personal interests and on the types of classes you would be interested in taking, as well as your educational background.

Major – What do you want your major to be? Not all accredited online universities offer a full range of programs. If you are certain that you want to focus on a specific field like nursing, engineering, politics, or accounting, it is important to know which schools offer these courses. Once you find a school that offers your major, check to see what resources they have for students enrolled in those classes. Look for things like the background and experience of your professors, and if the university offers career placement help after graduation.

Time – Consider the time commitment that you are willing to make for school. Certain degrees and majors will require a heavier course load than others, while some accredited online universities will only allow you to take one or two classes per session. If you are looking to go to school full-time or to complete your degree in a short period, these programs may not be the best choice for you. Determine the amount of time you will have after all of your outside obligations are met, including a job, family and other activities to help clarify your best option.

Cost – While many accredited online universities cost less than a traditional school, receiving your education online is still a big financial commitment. Having a clear understanding of what you can afford will help you to determine the best school for you. Take a look at each online university’s information page for tuition to find out how they charge; it may be by credit hour, course or semester. Each school may break down their tuition costs differently, so you may need to do a little math to compare them correctly. Also take into consideration any scholarships and grants or financial aid that you may be able to receive as this will ultimately drive down the total out-of-pocket expenses for you.

Reputation – Find out about the school’s overall reputation. A great place to start your search is through online university reviews. Through these websites, students are able to post their own personal experiences with the universities that they have attended. You can read about how the students liked the programs, the professors, the grading system and more. Just as you’d read consumer reviews prior to buying a new television or car, you should do the same when you’re looking to further your education.

The concept ” falling standard of Education” is a relative term because there is no well defined instruments to measure it with utmost reliability and validity. That is why scholars’ views on the concept varies. These scholars view it at different perspectives, depending on the angle each of them is looking at it.

Babalola, A (2006) sees the concept from admission of Nigerian University products in developed countries universities. That the first six Nigerian Universities (University of Ibadan, Ile Ife, Lagos, Benin, Nsukka and Zaria) had their products competing favourably with any other University in the world as their products were sought for by University of Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford and London for admission into their post-graduate courses. That these students record breaking performances and when they graduate are employed by the best multi-national companies and corporate bodies globally unlike today where no Nigerian University is among the top 6,000 Universities of the world (Adeniyi, Bello (2008) in Why no worry about rankings). He sees standard from how universities contribute to knowledge and solving problems besetting mankind.

According to Gateway to the Nation (2010), University of Ibadan is ranked 6,340th University in the world. In Africa, University of Ibadan is ranked 57th, OAU 69th and South African Universities are leading the way in Africa.
He also use written and spoken English as a yardstick for measuring standard of education which University of London conducted a research in West Africa and the result showed that teachers trained by colonial masters were better of than those trained by indigenous teachers.

He also used staffing, funding, foundation, origin and students as standard of education.

Standard of education to Dike, V. (2003) is how education contribute to the public health (or sociopolitical and economic development of a Nation).

Standard of education to either passing or failing of external examinations like WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, JAMB,(NOW UTME) among others.

Teachers without Boarders (2006) looks at educational standard from how the products of schools can be measured in terms of outcome. That is how school leavers contribute to the society in terms of cognitive affective and psychomotor. I will be using students to refer to both students and pupils, I will use head teacher to refer to both principal and headmaster.

Which ever way you may view standard of education, for you to conclude whether the standard is falling or not, you must take into consideration all the aforementioned variables including achieving educational goals.

Equally, for justice to be done while measuring these standards one has to look at reliability where all the schools to be measured must have the same infrastructure, teaching materials, quality of teachers, level and degree of learners, condition within which learning takes place, some methods of assessment and some types of contribution to the society among others.

CAUSES OF FALLING STANDARDS

Haven discussed what makes up standard in education, may I crave your indulgence to some of the established facts that constitute falling standard of education in Nigeria.

(1) Discipline: This is one of the outstanding attributes of education when it is rightly observed.

a. Repeating: school no longer observe repeating as every student is promoted to the next class whether they understand or not gives room for falling standard.
b. Attendance: The 75% of attendance universally accepted as the bases for someone to sit for examination is no longer observed.
c. Late coming: Student that come late are no longer punished, which leads to their loosing morning classes.
d. Misbehaviour: Students are no longer punished for misbehavior because of their parental influences (lost of jobs or unnecessary transfer).
e. Cultism: This could refer to rituals, usually under oath binding the members to a common course. They operate covertly in fulfillment of their objectives to the detriment of other people. Thus, planning secondary needs above primary needs.

These cults exist because of over population of students in schools, wrong admissions not based on merits, hence fear of examination failures and selfish worldly gains.

(2) Quest for paper qualification: Nigerians respect paper qualification above performance in the fields. Hence, cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains are supposed to be measured on the field.

(3) Politicizing education: Merit is no longer regarded as it is now ” who you know” and not “what you can deliver” Technocrats (educationists are not appointed Commissioner of education and education board).

(4) Policy problem: Sometimes the type of policies government make on education adversely affects output. For instance, in College of Education, we have National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), competing with JAMB for admission as the two guidelines vary.

Equally, WAEC, NECO, NABTEB, JAMB ( now UTME) compete with qualifying pre-requisites and regulation of entries into tertiary institutions.

(5) Teachers not being part of the examination bodies. One wonders whether the continuous Assessment submitted by these teachers are used or not.

(6) Accessibility of Schools: The Nigerian population boom has outnumbered the existing schools as the existing schools have to over admit.

This point can be practically seen in the following areas:

(i) Teacher / Student ratio of 1:25 is no longer there as in my class, it is 1:3900.
(ii) Students / books / Journals ratio of 1:10 is no longer feasible.
(iii) Politics of admission: Schools can no longer set targets for admission to conform with their facilities as powerful notes from above will force the school authorities to either over admit or find themselves in the labour market again. Yet it is those that are giving these notes are suppose to build more schools or provide needed infrastructure etc. to accommodate those collecting these notes.

(7) Over-dependent on cognitive domain: Schools do not give regards to affective domain that will mould characters of our young ones. Little attention is given to psychomotor while no attention is given to affective domain.

(8) Shortage of qualified teachers: Some schools in the rural areas only have the headmaster as government employee while the rest that may be secondary school drop outs are PTA staff. What miracle can these staff perform? Dike, V. (2006) observed that only 23% out of the then 400,000 primary schools in Nigeria have grade II even when NCE is now the minimum qualification for teachers at primary and Junior Secondary schools.

(9) Teachers welfare: It is no longer news that

(a) Politicians do not have negotiation council to negotiate their salary increase.
(b) There is no disparity among political office holders from the federal, state and local governments.
(c) Their salaries are increased at astronomical manner.
(d) Their salaries are increased any time without recourse to whether the nation’s economy can bear it or not.
(e) But for teachers, they must negotiate the 10 to 20% of an attempt to increase their salary with consideration of the economy of the nation. How can these teachers contribute and perform miracle when their family members are in the hospitals and the O.S. syndrome is written on their cards by pharmacists while they do not have money to treat.

(10) Constant Strikes: This is an impediment to smooth covering of syllabus. Oefule (2009) explained that one Nigerian guest asked a question on strike at Oxford University community but the vice chancellor could not even remember about strike, only the registrar remembered it for 17 years back. This is what governance means to the people.

(11) Long rule of the military; Education was not properly funded by the military regimes as according to Babalola, A(2006) Obasanjos administration inherited many left over problems of the military such as non- payment of pensions and gratuities of retired University staff, poor remuneration of university staff, dilapidating buildings of schools, libraries with outdated books, obsolete laboratory equipments, bad campus roads, inadequate water and power supply among others.

(12) In the secondary and primary schools levels, schools do not even have buildings talk less` of furniture’s, equipments and reading materials. This is the level where the foundation of education should be laid. Any faulty foundation will lead to faulty structures. What do you expect from the tertiary level?

(13) Lack of training of teachers: Teachers are not trained to update their knowledge with latest discoveries based on research, then how can they give what they don’t have?

(14) Poor state of Educational teaching facilities: Dike V. (2006) reported that research result shows that over 2015 primary schools in Nigeria do not have building but study under trees, talk less of teaching materials.

(15) Corruption: leaders of the schools and some Government officials either connive to buy equipments with loan money that cannot be of any use to the school or take such loans and do not even do anything with it.

(16) Poor budgetary allocation to education: A research work of 2001 shows that Nigeria only, allocate less than 20% to education it further reveals that Nigeria spends 0.76% to education as against Uganda 2.6%, Tanzania3.4%, Mozambique 4.1%, Angola 4.9%, Coted Ivore 5% Kenya 6.5% and South Africa 7.9% among others.

WHO IS TO BE BLAMED?

We have seen the causes of falling standards and from these causes we can deduce that the following are to be blamed:

1. Government suppose to carry the lion share of the blame because all the other variables are dependent variables to it.

2. Teachers also have their shares of the blame with regards to their diligent duties.

3. Parents: feeding has to be provided by parents. This is because parents do not leave schools to operate without interference.

4. Students: students who do not abide by school rules and regulations nor pay attention to their studies also contribute to falling standards. Students also seek for paper qualification and disregards to performance they also participate in cult activities that derail the progress of the academy.

5. The society is not left out as it is the way it sees and respects the products of these schools that recycles back again.

SOLUTION

Based on the problems or causes identified above, the following solutions are proffered: Schools should respect and restore back discipline to bring back the lost glory of our educational standards.

Performance should be regarded and respected more than just paper qualification. Equally, education should not be politicized for whatever reason.

Policy makers should be mindful of policies that affect education .eg JAMB(UTME) regulation in admissions.

Teachers should be involved in examination activities and examination bodies should always publish examination reports and distribute it to various schools for them to hold school workshop for training of subject teachers on their areas of weaknesses observed in the students’ scripts with regards to following the marking scheme.

More schools should be built to increase accessibility by all. Cognitive, affective and psychomotor domain should be used for assessment of students.

Teachers’ welfare should be given priority by government to avoid unnecessary strikes in our educational sector while more qualified teachers should be employed to curb the present shortage of teachers in our schools.

The university has 109 affiliated colleges, with study centres in Madurai, Chennai, Trichy, Theni, Ramnad, Tirunelveli, Nagercoil and other states. There are seven evening colleges for students with day jobs, and distance learning centres in 103 other states and seventeen different countries. On the home campus, the Kamaraj University Library is the second largest in Tamil Nadu. There is a Computer Centre and an Educational Media Research Centre for video production which has created and aired 3380 educational television programs.

Schools within the college include biological sciences, biotechnology, chemistry, energy and environmental resources, economics, history, math, physics, philosophy, Tamil, earth and atmospheric studies, business, education, languages, information and communication, performing arts, religions, social sciences, and youth welfare. Each school is comprised of several departments. For example, the school of biological sciences has departments of biochemistry, plant sciences, molecular biology, genetics, animal behavior and physiology, microbial technology, immunology, plant morphology and algology. The school of religions, philosophy and humanist thought has departments of Islam & Islamic Tamil studies, Saivasiddhanantha philosophy, Gandhian Studies and Ramalinga philosophy, interreligious relations, philosophy, Christian studies and Guru Nanak Studies. There is also a department of Adult / Continuing education, a volunteer programme called the National Service Scheme for social services, and a Kidney and Bone Marrow Transplantation Matching Service Facility.

Complete campus facilities serve the needs of the many residents. 1080 students may be accommodated in the University Hostels, in five men’s and three women’s dormitories. Staff and guests are also given their own quarters. There is a 24 hour University Hospital, a canteen, cooperative stores, a post office and branches of the State Bank of India and MDCC Bank. There is a beautiful indoor sports stadium with a wooden floor and seating for 1000. Basketball, badminton, table tennis and volleyball facilities are available.

Established in 1976, the University’s goal has always been to make higher education easily accessible to working students. Over the years, they have become the largest private university in North America, with 200 campuses and distance education facilities available online.

Distance education has become an increasingly popular choice, even for non-working students. The ability to learn at one’s own pace, in the privacy of one’s own home is appealing to many people.

It’s less stressful for anyone and works particularly well for students with disabilities. There’s no real time-table to meet, except for one that you make for yourself.

Today, there are many institutions that offer courses over the internet, but Phoenix was one of the first. They have more than 100 different programs to choose from at the Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral levels. The programs that they offer are geared towards career advancement or development.

With a University of Phoenix online degree, you have an advantage in the job market. Today’s employers are looking for the best educated and most qualified individuals to fill all of their positions. Your motivation to obtain more education, by choice, looks good on a resume.

If you are currently employed, you may find that your employer offers partial tuition reimbursement. Lots of employers offer this kind of incentive. If you qualify for financial aid from the federal government or Stafford loans of either type, you can use them to obtain a University of Phoenix online degree.

The college is accredited by the US Department of Education. Credits that you receive at the college should be transferable, should you decide to attend another school, depending, of course, upon the field of study that you choose to go into.

The fees charged are comparable to what you would pay at any other college. They vary depending on the type of program that you are interested in and the materials required. You can easily learn more about the applicable tuition for a specific program, online or at one of their many campuses.

Currently, they have campuses in 41 US states, in two Canadian provinces and in Puerto Rico. That’s one of the things that make a University of Phoenix online degree more appealing than some of the other distance learning providers. There are some programs that require labs or other classroom activities. This requirement prevents single location universities from offering the broad range of educational opportunities that are available through Phoenix.

The fundamental themes of Newman’s approach to present the idea of a school are very well known:

Knowledge is definitely an result in itself, to become pursued because of its own sake and never for many utilitarian value.
The university is, first and foremost, a community of scholars, teachers and students dedicated to the pursuit of truth.
The core of the curriculum may be the humanities which represent the highest attainment of cultivated minds.

From the quantity of alternative formulations of the identical idea distributed by Newman, we have selected his following statement to define the university. The University, Newman says,
“… is where that one thousand schools make contributions; where the intellect may safely range and speculate, certain to find its equal in some antagonist activity, and its judge in the tribunal of truth. It’s a place where inquiry is pushed forward and discoveries verified and perfected, and rashness rendered innocuous, and error exposed, by the collision of mind with mind, and knowledge with knowledge.”

Newman does not define university in a narrow sense. Education inside a university is not specific but general. “a University isn’t a birthplace of poets or of immortal authors, of founding father of schools, leaders of colonies or conquerors of nations.” A school provides chance to acquire understanding of different branches. In a university, students, prffessors and experts of varied discilpines assemble together and exchange their views, and therefore acquire ‘knowledge’.

Knowledge which is a quest for university is, according to Newman, a unified whole. It includes all branches of data, as Newman says,

“I have asserted all branches of data are connected together, because the subject-matter of knowledge is intimately united by itself, as the acts and the work from the Creator.” (v) However, Newman differentiates between knowledge and mere learning. A single branch of knowledge is really a mere learning. Thus, “all Knowledge is a whole and the separate Sciences areas of one”. Knowledge could be compared to tree having a number of branches. Different branches of data are of equal importance, “They complete, correct, balance each other.”

The university education is “Liberal”. Newman says that “the end of University Education,…[is]… the Liberal or Philosophical Knowledge… which…has a very tangible, real, and sufficient end, although the end can’t be divided from that knowledge itself.”

There are two methods of Education-philosophical and mechanical. Mechanical education gives preference to instruction, and is aimed at immediate results of the procedure. Its scope is narrow.

On the contrary, Philosophical education, which is much broader, denotes liberal education which Newman advocates for. It’s not characteresid by physical instruction rather through the exercise of reason, mind and inner faculty, through the cultivation of intellect. Thus by liberal education Newman means the ethical sense or education or even the moral vision needed for a person’s private, social, national and intellectual life. The function of university education, Newman points out, is to create a group who are literate and cultured, to create gentlemen who’re filled with common sense and who are able to master any situation. Newman’s notions about University Education or Liberal Education are anti-utilitarian. His approach is fundamentally from the Utilitarian view that education or anything must have a sort of ‘utility’ or usefulness in pragmatic value that’s it has to have market value. Thus by the term Knowledge, Newman, in an anti-utiliterian way, means something abstrract, something intangible, something intellectul. As Newman says,

” When I talk about knowlwdge, I am talking about something intellectual, a thing that grasps what it perceives through senses;…”

However, Newman doesn’t altogether deny the necessity of mechanical education. He admits that,

“Let me to not deny the necessity, in order to decry the advantage, of these focus on what’s particular and pratical, as is one of the useful and mechanical arts;” In presenting the liberal education, Newman argues that religion and science cannot enter into conflict, unless they are misrepresented or misunderstood. The purpose of liberal education is to create a gentleman, not a Christian as Mill says, “Liberal education makes not the Christian, not the Catholic, but the gentleman. ” However, a Christian could be so much better than if he was gentleman also, because all the fields of human investigation should be unified through the organizing concepts of theology, which is a science of its own kind.

The university teacher, based on Newman, should be “eloquent, and it is a missionary along with a preacher” who’ll display ” his science in its most complete and many winning form”, and who will have “the zeal of enthusiasm” lighting up love in the “breasts of his hearers”. If we observe the background of Newman’s presenting the essay, we have seen the word “Idea” has been used meaning of “ideal”. The model that they urged on his Dublin audience, seeking their support, particularly financial, in order to obtain a brand new Catholic university in Dublin, was that of the unreformed Oxford by which he had spent his formative years. Actually, one may claim, his was a Platonic ideal, divorced from practice.

BACKGROUND

1. In terms of Entry 66 of List One of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India, Parliament is competent to make laws for the coordination and resolution of standards in institutions for higher education for research, and scientific and technical institutions. Parliament has enacted laws for discharging this responsibility through: the University Grants Commission (UGC) for general Advanced schooling, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for Technical Education; and other Statutory bodies for other disciplines. As regards advanced schooling, with the distance mode, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Act, 1985 was enacted using the following two prime objectives, amongst others: (a) To supply opportunities for advanced schooling to some large segment of population, especially disadvantaged groups residing in remote and rural areas, adults, housewives and working people; and (b) to encourage Open University and Distance Education Systems within the educational pattern of the country and to coordinate and see the standards in such systems.

2. A brief history of distance education or education through distance mode in India, goes long ago once the universities started offering education through distance mode in the name of Correspondence Courses through their Directorate/School of Correspondence Education. In those times, the courses in humanities and/or in commerce were offered through correspondence and brought by those, who, because of various reasons, including small group of seats in regular courses, employability, problems of use of the institutions of higher learning etc., could not get themselves enrolled in the traditional `face-to-face’ mode `in-class’ programmes.

3. In the recent past, the demand for higher education has increased enormously through the country because of awareness concerning the significance better education, whereas the machine better education couldn’t accommodate this ever increasing demand.

4. Under the circumstances, numerous institutions including deemed universities, private universities, public (Government) universities and even other institutions, which aren’t empowered to award degrees, have started cashing on the situation by providing learning online programmes inside a many disciplines, ranging from humanities to engineering and management etc., and at different levels (certificate to under-graduate and post-graduate degrees). There’s always some risk that some of these institutions can become `degree mills’ offering sub- standard/poor quality education, consequently eroding the credibility of degrees and other qualifications awarded through the distance mode. This requires a far higher degree of coordination among the concerned statutory authorities, primarily, UGC, AICTE and IGNOU and it is authority – the length Education Council (DEC).

5. Government of India had clarified its position in respect of recognition of degrees, earned with the distance mode, for employment under it vide Gazette Notification No. 44 dated 1.3.1995.

6. Despite the risks known in para 4 above, the significance of distance education in providing quality education and training can’t be ignored. Distance Mode of education comes with an important role for:

(i)providing opportunity of learning to those, who don’t have immediate access to manage to face teaching, working persons, house-wives etc.
(ii)providing opportunity to working professionals to update their knowledge, enabling these phones switchover to new disciplines and professions and enhancing their qualifications for a better job.
(iii)exploiting the potential for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) within the teaching and learning process; and
(iv)achieving the target of 15% of GER by the end of 11th Plan and 20% by the end of 12th five year Plan.

7. To be able to discharge the Constitutional responsibility of determination and upkeep of the standards in Higher Education, by ensuring coordination among various statutory regulatory authorities as and to make sure the promotion of open and learning online system in the country to satisfy the aspirations of cross-sections of people for advanced schooling, the next policy according of distance learning is laid down:

(a) In order to ensure proper coordination in regulation of standards of higher education in various disciplines through various modes [i.e. in person and distance] as and to ensure credibility of degrees/diploma and certificates awarded by Indian Universities and other Education Institutes, an apex body, namely, National Commission for Advanced schooling and Research shall be established good recommendations of Prof. Yash Pal Committee/National Knowledge Commission. A Standing Committee on Open and Distance

Education from the said Commission, shall undertake the job of coordination, determination and upkeep of standards of education with the distance mode. Pending establishment of the body:

(i) Just those programmes, that do not involve extensive practical course work, will be permissible with the distance mode.

(ii) Universities / institutions shall frame ordinances / regulations / rules, because the case may be, spelling the outline of the programmes to become offered through the distance mode indicating the number of required credits, listing of courses with assigned credits, reading references in addition to self learning material, hours of study, contact classes at study centres, assignments, examination and evaluation process, grading etc.

(iii) DEC of IGNOU shall only assess the competence of university/institute in respect of conducting learning online programmes with a team of experts, whose report shall be placed before the Council of DEC for consideration.

(iv) The approval will be given only after consideration by Council of DEC and not by Chairperson, DEC. With the objective, minimum quantity of mandatory meetings of DEC might be prescribed.

(v) AICTE would be directed under section 20 (1) of AICTE Act 1987 to ensure accreditation from the programmes in Computer Sciences, Information Technology and Management purposed to be offered by an institute/university through the distance mode, by National Board of Accreditation (NBA).

(vi) UGC and AICTE would be directed under section 20 (1) of the respective Acts to frame detailed regulations prescribing standards for a number of programmes/courses, offered through the distance mode under their mandate,

(vii) No university/institute, except the universities established by or under an action of Parliament/State Legislature before 1985, shall offer any programme with the distance mode, henceforth, without approval from DEC and accreditation by NBA. However, the universities/institutions already offering programmes in Humanities, Commerce/Business/Social Sciences/Computer Sciences and knowledge Technology and Management, might be allowed to continue, susceptible to the condition to obtain fresh approval from DEC and accreditation from NBA within one year, failing which they shall need to discontinue the programme and also the entire onus with regards to the academic career and financial losses from the students enrolled with them, will be on such institutions/universities.

(viii) In light of observation of Apex Court, ex-post-facto approval granted by any authority for distance education shall ‘t be honoured and granted henceforth. However, the universities established by or under an Act of education programmes within the streams of Humanities/Commerce/Social Sciences prior to the year 1991 shall be excluded from this policy.

(ix) The scholars who have been awarded degrees through distance mode by the universities if you don’t take prior approval of DEC along with other statutory bodies, shall be given one chance, provided they fulfil the requirement of minimum standards as prescribed by the UGC, AICTE or any other relevant Statutory Authority through Regulation, to look in examinations such papers as decided through the university designated to conduct the examination. If these students qualify in this examination, the university concerned shall issue a certificate. The degree along with the said qualifying certificate may be recognised for the purpose of employment/promotion under Central Government.

(x) A clarification will be issued with reference to Gazette Notification No. 44 dated 1.3.1995 it shall ‘t be applicable to the degrees/diplomas awarded through the universities established by or under an Act of Parliament or State Legislature before 1985, within the streams of Humanities/Commerce and Social Sciences.

(xi) A policy initiatives spelt in succeeding paragraphs will be equally applicable to institutions offering distance education/intending to offer learning online.

(b) All universities and institutions offering programmes with the distance mode shall need to have prior recognition/approval for offering such programmes and accreditation from designated competent authority, mandatorily in respect from the programmes offered by them. The violators of the will be liable for appropriate penalty as prescribed legally. The universities/institutions offering education through distance mode and located involved in cheating of students/people by providing wrong/false information or wilfully suppressing the information shall be also dealt with strictly underneath the penal provisions of law.

(c) The universities / institutes shall have their own study centres for in person counselling and removal of difficulties as and to seek other academic and administrative assistance. Franchising of learning online by any university, institutions whether public or private shall ‘t be allowed.

(d ) The universities /institutions shall only offer such programmes through distance mode that are on offer on their campuses through conventional mode. In the event of open universities, they shall necessarily possess the required departments and faculties prior to offering relevant programmes through distance mode.

(e) It might be mandatory for all universities and education institutions offering learning online to make use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in delivery of their programmes, management of the student and university affairs through a web portal or any other such platform. The said platform shall invariably, display in public places domain, the data concerning the statutory and other approvals as well as other necessary information concerning the programmes on offer through distance mode, their accreditation and students enrolled, year- wise, etc. This can be linked to a national database, as and when created, to facilitate the stakeholders to take a view on the recognition of the degrees with regards to academic pursuit or employment with/under them.

(f) All universities/education institutions shall make optimal use of e-learning contents for delivery/offering their programmes through distance mode. They shall also be encouraged/required to adopt e-surveillance technology for conduct of clean, fair and transparent examinations.

(g) The focus of learning online shall be to supply opportunity of education to individuals at educationally disadvantaged situations such as living in remote and rural areas, adults without any or limited access to education of their choice etc.

(h) To be able to promote flexible and need based learning, choice-based credit system will be promoted and all ODE institutions shall be encouraged to adopt this technique and evolve a mechanism for acceptance and transfer of credits from the courses successfully completed by students in face-to-face or distance mode. With the objective, establishment of the credit bank may be considered. Similarly, conventional universities, offering face to face mode programmes will be encouraged to accept the credits earned through the students through distance mode. A transition from annual to semester system shall be essential.

(i) Convergence from the face-to-face mode teaching departments of conventional universities using their learning online directorates/correspondence course wings as also with open universities/institutions offering learning online, shall be impressed upon to bridge the gap in distance and conventional face-to-face mode of education.

(j) Reputed Foreign education providers well-established, recognized and accredited by competent authority within their country and prepared to offer the amount programmes in India will be allowed, subject to the fulfillment from the legal dependence on the country.

(k) A National Information and Communication Technology infrastructure for networking of ODE institutions shall be created under National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology.

(l) Efforts could be designed to create favourable environment for research in Open and Learning online (ODE) system by establishing infrastructure like e- libraries, digital data-base, online journals, holding regular workshops, seminars etc.

(m) Training and orientation programmes for educators and administrators in ODE system with focus on use of ICT and self-learning practice, will be encouraged.

(n) ODE institutions will be asked to take care the educational needs of learners with disabilities and senior citizens.

(o) An official notification clarifying the issue of recognition of academic qualification, earned through distance mode, for the purpose of employment, shall be issued.

(p) A mechanism shall be set up for evaluation of examples of foreign universities with regards to academic pursuit and for employment under the Central Government. This might include the assessment of the credentials from the university concerned as and to test the competence of the degree holder, if needed.

For over 500 years, Scotland has maintained its track record of upscale education at par with international standards. Universities of Scotland present world class course curriculum and ideal workplace training. At the moment you will find 14 universities in Scotland. Here’s the list of these

University of St Andrews
University of Glasgow
University of Aberdeen
University of Edinburgh
University of Strathclyde
Herriot-Watt University
University of Dundee
University of Stirling
Edinburgh Napier University
Robert Gordon University
Glasgow Caledonian University
University of Abertay Dundee
Queen Margaret University

Causes of you to definitely join a school in Scotland

Career Building Study Programs

Via a series of innovative as well flexible study methods, these Scottish universities instil requisite career skills in the aspiring students. For example- Glasgow University gets more science students than every other university in UK outside of London

State of the Art Infrastructure

The universities are known for their modernized equipment and various other amenities open to students easily like wi-fi, computerized library, seminar halls, huge auditoriums, sports fields, comfortable classrooms etc. The Artificial Intelligence Applications Institute at Edinburgh University is the leading research centres for AI.

Effective Student Support

To have an international student, lots of support is available in the type of student organizations who help out a lot in areas like accommodation, socialization, class schedule, student education loans, tax rebate etc.

Research Oriented Programmes

Scotland Universities get 20% of their research the help of UK government. In fact, the universities provide leading research in areas like artificial intelligence, optoelectronics, speech and parallel processing technologies and perform contract research for Siemens, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Honeywell Bull and Phillips (UK).

Suitable Location

The temperate climate of Scotland plays a significant role in influencing one’s decision for studying here. Ought to be fact, the bustling nightlife of cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow along with art, drama, theatre, music and lost more sit seeing in store for students makes Scotland a stylish spot to study. One can visit places like Burrell Collection, the Royal Concert Hall, Scottish Opera, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, in addition to many of the finest buildings designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Griggs University continues to be helping better the lives of individuals everywhere since 1909. The University was formerly referred to as Home Study International. They’ve affiliations with other universities and colleges to provide you with probably the most opportunities to further your education and get their education(s) that you want.

While Griggs University courses are accredited as with every other schools courses are, there’s something completely different concerning the courses that Griggs offers. They are faith based classes which will teach individuals the data they require by having an extra added bonus. These classes have a Biblical stance on every day, worldly lessons.

When you want to get ahead in everyday life, there’s no better way to do so than to take continuing education courses and work at getting a degree. It’s been noted those who’ve a university bachelor’s degree can make one million dollars more in their lifetime compared to those who have not. This can be a huge benefit to anyone who has families who make use of them.

Students may take classes and receive credit online. These credits are transferable with other outstanding higher education facilities. To best serve those who are wanting to get yourself a degree, Griggs has an alliance with Washington Adventist University, Oakwood University and Andrews College.

Griggs University includes a partnership with several other schools in order to provide the most opportunities to students who are grabbing the heavens. You can obtain several degrees through this partnership along with other schools.

Students who wish to stick to the Lord and serve Him through their career can get an Associates degree in Personal Ministries. Students can also get a Bachelor’s degree running a business Management or Administration, Theological Study, General Studies and Religious Education.

If you’re looking to earn your Masters degree after you’ve already received your Bachelor’s, Griggs can there be for you personally. You can aquire them through Griggs numerous online programs, as well. If you are seeking a Masters degree in Christian Ministry or Business, Griggs provides you with the very best in quality, affordable education. Griggs University is constantly on the serve the global community through service and ministry while providing a top notch education to anyone who is seeking a better future for themselves.

Recently, the countries that provide free education for international students are extremely few because of alterations in policy. Free tuition schools for foreign students are only able to be found in some areas of Europe today. Sweden used to be the most popular country in Europe that’s very much thinking about free education for international students. The federal government of Sweden continues to be granting study abroad scholarship for international students for a long time now. People even started thinking that the free scholarship universities in Sweden could be there forever. It came like a shock to everyone once the news spread that beginning with autumn semester 2011, there’ll not be study abroad scholarship universities for international students in Sweden. Though this policy was not immediately implemented. There is still opportunity for international students to apply for spring semester admission in Sweden on free tuition. After this semester, the policy takes immediate effect.

Though they’ve tried to help individuals to study free within their country, this recent policy is just a watch opener. Other free tuition Countries in europe might as well change their own policy.