Mysuru:  There is an urgent need for setting up of an ‘Open Universities Association’ at the national level to solve many issues plaguing such Universities, said Karnataka State Open University (KSOU) Vice-Chancellor Dr. S. Vidyashankar.

He was speaking at the valedictory of the All India Open Universities Vice-Chancellors’ Conference organised by KSOU at Cauvery auditorium here on Friday and said that only when the problems are solved could the level of confidence in Open Universities go up.

“A few of the Conventional Universities have started online courses. Even KSOU is thinking of starting one. There should be a give and take policy among the Universities. There is no doubt that by imbibing the best practises of other Universities, KSOU will again come to the forefront among the Open Universities in the country,” he said.

In this two-day conference, the teachers learnt many new things including learning about new courses. The views discussed here would be shared with the Open Universities all over the country, said Dr. Vidyashankar.

Bhopal’s Madhya Pradesh Open University Vice-Chancellor Prof. Jayant Sonwalkar said that there was much more demand for Distance Learning now  than earlier.

Countries like Germany and England, which offer Distance Education Programmes, are depending on Indian students. If the Universities that are in the country can offer quality Distance Education, then the admissions in our Open Universities will automatically go up, he added.

When it comes to basic amenities and human resources, KSOU is no way inferior to other Universities. The teaching and non-teaching faculty here must forget the happenings in the past as a bad dream and work hard to maintain high quality standards.

If that happens then there is no doubt that in the next two years, KSOU will regain its top spot among the Open Universities in the country, said Prof. Sonwalkar.

Tamil Nadu Open University Vice-Chancellor Prof. K. Parthasarathy, former KSOU VC Dr. N.S. Ramegowda and others were present.