New Delhi: "While higher education establishments and government focus on PhD programmes, there is also great concern and apprehension about the poor quality of the M Phil and PhD programmes offered in large numbers by some institutions misusing the autonomy and the concept of distance education. Strict enforcement of quality criteria, following international benchmarks in research, is the only way to curb these undesirable practices. Quality research of high impact happening in renowned open university and distance education systems should be supported and encouraged to set national benchmarks in this area," announced Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Vice Chancellor, Professor V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai.

Achieving high levels of research performance in discipline-based research is the target of IGNOU in this decade of innovation, the VC stated.

He further added that, "We cannot take a stand that the open university and distance education system will not be able to provide the facilities and ambience for high quality research. State-of -the -art research laboratories, even in sophisticated science and technology areas, are available in the open university system."

The various schemes of IGNOU and the Distance Education Council (DEC) have contributed to the emergence of the university as a world leader in systemic research in the area of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) pedagogy.

These schemes include minor and major research schemes , study leave for staff to undertake research at the doctoral and post-doctoral levels, sabbatical leave , facilitation of participation in national and international research conferences, the setting up of special institutes like the Staff Training and Research in Distance Education (STRIDE), the National Centre for Innovations in Distance Education (NCIDE), the National Centre for Disability Studies (NCDS), the Chair for Sustainable Development, the Research and Teaching Assistantship (RTA) Scheme for highly meritorious full-time postgraduates and the setting up of the statutory Research Council and the Research Unit.

Many open universities in the world, like the UK Open University, the Open University of Netherlands and Hong Kong Open University support extensive doctoral and post-doctoral research.

They have excellent research portfolios and vibrant research communities, which are enhanced through collaborations with top-ranking research institutions worldwide.

In addition to the key discipline based research units, they have established highly relevant major cross-disciplinary research establishments.

The UK Open University, in fact, is not only the number one in the mandatory Annual Student Satisfaction Survey there, it also ranks very high in the mandatory Research Assessment Exercise (RAE).

IGNOU is proud of the fact that its systemic research feeds directly into the content of its world-leading teaching programmes.

The university is committed to utilize its large pool of academics with extensive research experience to train young researchers, in both systemic as well as discipline based research of the highest quality.