All India Public Open University V-Cs round table conference gets under way

Kerala Higher Education Minister R. Bindu has said that the future of higher education will not be defined by exclusivity, but by inclusion.

Inaugurating the fifth ‘All India Public Open University Vice Chancellors’ Round Table Conference hosted by the Sreenarayanaguru Open University (SGOU) here on Monday, Dr. Bindu called for a robust national framework for credit transfer and deeper collaboration among open universities.

A seamless framework would enable academic mobility, stackable credentials and recognition of prior learning, and allow students to complete programmes across institutions and States without procedural barriers.

She pointed out that open universities are “not peripheral, but pivotal” in a rapidly transforming higher education landscape shaped by technology, mobility and the growing demand for lifelong learning. Education, she added, must remain “open, accessible, flexible and transformative,” while stressing on how institutions such as the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and SGOU have reshaped global higher education by expanding opportunities beyond conventional systems.

Addressing the challenges of digital transformation, the Minister cautioned against blind adherence to technology that could erode human engagement, even as institutions must avoid being left behind in a pre-digital era. Open universities must strive to bridge both the physical and digital divide while preserving academic rigour and public trust, she said.

‘Critical intermediaries’

Delivering the keynote address, State Higher Education Council vice-chairperson Rajan Gurukkal urged the teaching community to reinvent themselves as critical intermediaries in an era dominated by generative AI tools. He, however, cautioned that while such platforms democratise learning, they are prone to errors, biases and superficial engagement.

The event is being organised in collaboration with the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) – Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA). COL chief executive officer Peter Scott, who addressed the conference through video-conference, urged universities worldwide to overhaul their business models and pedagogy as they transition to multi-mode education.

He recalled how many conventional institutions responded poorly during the COVID-19 pandemic by merely transferring classroom teaching online through emergency remote instruction. Such approaches failed to leverage the potential of digital platforms because they were rooted in traditional classroom mindsets, he claimed.

Instead, he called for institutions to “reimagine learning,” beginning with innovative learning design that integrates interaction, assessment as learning, and social elements to enhance student engagement.

SGOU Vice Chancellor Jagathy Raj V.P., Indian Association of Public Open Universities president and Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University V-C Sanjeev Sonawane and CEMCA director Basheerhamad Shadrach also spoke on the occasion.