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The Mission is expected to be a major intervention in enhancing the Gross Enrolment
Ratio (GER) in Higher Education by five percentage points during the XI Five year
Plan period and in ensuring access and equity in Higher Education as also recommended
by the Oversight Committee and the National Knowledge Commission. The
Mission has two major components: content generation and connectivity along with
provision for access devices for institutions and learners. It seeks to bridge
the digital divide - the gap in the skills to use computing devices for the purpose
of teaching and learning among urban and rural teachers/learners in Higher Education
domain – to empower those who have hitherto remained untouched by the digital
revolution and have not been able to joint the mainstream of the knowledge economy.
It
plans to focus on appropriate pedagogy for e-learning, providing facility of performing
experiments through virtual laboratories, on-line testing and certification, on-line
availability of teachers to guide and mentor learners, utilization of available
Education Satellite (EduSAT) and Direct to Home (DTH) platform, training and empowerment
of teachers to effectively use the new method of teaching learning etc. The
Mission will work in close cooperation and collaboration with other Missions/Schemes
such as the National Translation Mission, Vocational Education Mission, National
Knowledge Network, Scheme of ICT @ Schools etc., to avoid any duplication and
attain synergy. It would operate through inter-departmental and multi-disciplinary
approach. On the one hand, the Mission would create high quality e-content for
the target groups and on the other, it would simultaneously extend computer infrastructure
and connectivity to over 18000 colleges in the country including each of the departments
of 419 universities/deemed universities and institutions of national importance
on a single point rental basis through the Department of Telecommunications (DOT),
in a manner that would permit their seamless interaction with a integrated National
Knowledge Network. The advent of very low-cost-low-power consuming access cum
computing devices, would further enhance the reach of the network.
The peer group
assisted content development would utilise the Wikipaedia type of collaborative
platform under the supervision of a content advisory committee responsible for
vetting the content. Interactivity and problem solving approach would be addressed
through “Talk to a Teacher” segment. The Mission would also have a component
of Teacher Empowerment through proper training and digital literacy of teachers
to be able to use the e-contents. Renowned institutions would anchor various activities
in their areas of excellence. The Mission would seek to enhance the standards
of education, in Government as well as in private colleges. Enlistment of support
and cooperation of States/Union Territories, Institutions and individual experts
would be an integral part of the Mission. The
Mission will ensure that there is no duplication with National Knowledge Network.
It will also cater to contents for higher education sector. National Programme
of Technology enhanced Learning (NPTEL) Phase II and III will be part of the generation
activity. The
Mission would have a three tier committee system to monitor and guide its functioning.
The apex National Committee would be chaired by Hon’ble Minister of Human
Resource Development. It would decide on all policy and administrative issues
and prescribe guidelines for the functioning of the two sets of Committees namely
‘Empowered Committee of Experts (henceforth shall be called as ‘Project
Approval Board’) would be sanctioning individual projects and monitoring
the overall progress through various peer reviews and concurrent evaluation. The
projected benefits/results of the Scheme would be enhancement of access to quality
education, making available knowledge modules in cyber space and optimal utilization
of available resources by using of ICT for educating the masses, especially those
inhibited in remotely located areas and places at disadvantage. | 
