Finances of IDEA

• For its finances, IDEA has been mainly dependent on various Funding Agencies and the assistance from Universities. In this context, COL and DEC has been extending regular assistance for arranging its conferences and other activities.
• The separation of DEC from IGNOU and creation of DEB, however destroyed the existing positive relationship between IGNOU and ODL institutions but also between IDEA and Apex Bodies. The other chief source of income for IDEA is its membership fees.
• It is obvious that this source is very limited. One of the important contributory reasons why IDEA has not been able to organize itself properly and carry out its various activities on a continuing basis is the fact that it has suffered from a sense of uncertainty about the continuity of the quantum of financial assistance that it would receive from various agencies as well as the contributions from members.
• This is an unhappy position. If IDEA is worth maintaining and if it is worthwhile incurring the basic expenditure on its standing charges, then it is all the more worthwhile making the small additional provision necessary to bet a return from the outfit of organization. For this purpose firstly, IDEA must have an adequate provision on a continuing basis for its standing charges and an adequate additional allotment for the carrying out of its regular activities.
• Secondly, IDEA must have an adequate provision for the development of its regional activities. Thirdly, the normal increases in the standing charges such as those arising out of increased contingencies etc need to be developed. Earlier IGNOR/ DEC has thought of incorporating an Annual budget provision in the DEC budget for extending necessary financial assistance, but it could not get through.
• However, what DEC has proposed earlier, later the newly formed could not carry forward and strengthening professional associations in ODL still remains a dream? IDEA hopes that in the years to come some of the above would be rectifies and Ministry of HRD would take a lead in this regard.

Major Issues and Concerns:

IDEA during the last two and half decades of its existence has a number of achievements to its credit despite a number of limitations from which it operates. IDEA is conscious of its limitations and problems and it is trying to gradually overcome them. The following are some of the major issues and concerns:

1. The most worried and intriguing problem of IDEA is its precarious financial problems. The financial position continues to be weak and IDEA had to either borrow some amount or withdraw its fixed deposits to meet some of the inescapable expenditure. Financial support may become a significant problem, as there is no budget available out of IDEA funds to cover the cost of materials and distribution of the Newsletter and Journals and other publications and hence publication and distribution of every issue has become a problem.
2. Membership enrolment should grow as it continues to stand lower. It seems several steps had been initiated over the years to attract wider membership and the steps taken in this regard resulted in several institutions coming forward to opt for corporate membership
3. Steps have been taken to establish a permanent Secretariat for IDEA to channelize its activities and establish a better communication network with the members and institutions concerned, but unfortunately the efforts could not succeed. There has been little manpower available with IDEA to do various jobs as it has been at present run by only a few people who also have other responsibilities.
4. It was considered essential for IDEA to establish permanent linkages with the apex bodies in India and abroad and with this objective, bye-laws were amended and the formalization of such relationship is still awaited and the decision taken earlier at DEC and IGNOU and COL level still continue to be pending.
5. OPEN IDEAS - The Official News Organ of IDEA could not be brought out regularly. Members were time again reminded to contribute material to 'OPEN IDEAS' but the response was not encouraging and IDEA Secretariat had to struggle for collection of material and prepare the issues. As far as the News letter is concerned manuscripts of published quality were hard to come even from other sources and over the years this situation has become more acute. IDEA has received very few contributions over the past few years. This is the reality despite the feedback from the readers that they have found the publication highly informative, useful readable and interesting. It is clear that considerable energies would have to be expended to the activity while soliciting contributions from various sources, but there was hardly any impact.
6. The publication of Journal still remains a dream unfulfilled. IDEA could publish a journal in collaboration with Kakatiya University for about 10 years but could not continue for various reasons beyond its control.
7. IDEA thought of developing a separate website, but could not achieve the same as those promised to provide the service could not do so. Several Directorates had come forward to host the 'site' as part of their Directorate's Websites, but after sometime they could not continue the same. However, Directors/ OUs holding Annual Conferences each year were maintaining the IDEA Conferences 'site' with many sufficient 'Links' and updates. At present the 'site' 'ideaindia.org' is being developed and in a couple of moments it will have its full shape.
8. IDEA has tried to impress upon DDEs over a period of time about the vital importance of the quality of study materials and continuation of upgradation work but the effort yielded only fifty percent success. It had deliberated on the issue of use of ICT by ODE Institutions various times at length and resolved that the conventional universities - especially those who offer DE should increasingly employ modern electronic technologies in order to enhance the quality and effectiveness of their study materials but nothing concrete could be achieved. The UGC/ DEC had been urged upon earlier to give special grants to the universities for creation of A/V/Computer learning facilities, so that they can make use of such additional facilities but IDEA could not get succeed to arrange the grants to all. Further introduction of CBCS promotion of OER MOOCs, other Online-Learning technology driven programmes - all need to gets its proper place in the programmes of OUS and DEOS in future.
9. IDEA has also impressed upon DDEs' to desist from using the surpluses generated by DDES to meet their own needs, adequate investment with a plough back of surplus for the development and upgradation of DDES to the DE mode but things improved only to a limited extent.
10. IDEA has also resolved many a time and represented in various bodies and authorities that the present position about Faculty and administrative staff working in various DE institutions be trained properly in ODL methodologies, but not much could be done.
11. IDEA impressed upon its member institutions as well as individual distance educators to carry 'evaluation and research studies' and also impressed upon DEC/DEB/ HRD to extend Research grants and Fellowships, but there was only a little success in this regard. HRD needs to develop a natural ODL policy, including on inbuilt ODL research policy, so that promotion ODL in the country could grow and play its deserved role in ensuring the right to education.
12. IDEA has been regularly requesting the IGNOU and DEC/ DEB to involve IDEA at various possible levels including in organizing Director's and Vice-Chancellors Conferences but nothing concrete could emerge. It seems the IGNOU and DEC/ DEB leadership continue to be less-responsive and it is unfortunate that as 'Apex Organisations they should have thought of some more initiatives to involve IDEA and other such organizations atleast in matters relating to Staff Training and Development, Research, Organisation and Management of ODL Programmes, Sharing of Resources and Networking, Collaborations etc. However, in the recent years several Directors Conferences could be organised with the help of DEDs and several issues could be concretely discussed. Hope in the near future the issue would be resolved and more VCs and Directors Conferences would take place.

These are some of the issues which continue to stand unresolved and IDEA has been continuously representing the matters concerned at various levels and it will also do so in future. It is always believed that the enthusiasm, solidarity and commitment shown by the distance educators to the cause of bringing education to the doorstep of all those who wish to get higher education through the distance mode will lead IDEA forward towards resolving all these above issues and help achieve its objectives.

Future Plans:

1. Future Activities: IDEA apart from its regular activities intends to undertake certain programmes of specialized nature both for the benefit of its individual members as well as DE institutions. These programmes are proposed to be undertaken with the help and financial assistance of funding agencies and other Apex Agencies such as DEB, STRIDE, COL, HRD (Govt. of India), Neeti Ayog etc., the following are some of the programs intended.
2. Staff Directory: Preparation of a Directory of DE experts to be made available soon and IDEA will take it up.
3. Training Initiatives: a) Establishing a mobile training unit to regularly conduct training programmes of various kinds including orientation and refresher courses at various places in regular intervals to cover various specialized aspects; b) IDEA also intends to undertake preparations of relevant training materials and adoption of those already available for the benefit of trainees in the proposed training programmes; c) It also intends to initiate certain training programmes to fulfill continuing training needs through a well-designed strategy of distance mode of training; It is planning to develop 'Orientation-Kits' to be useful to DE Learners.
4. Joint Projects: Joint Research Projects are proposed in collaboration of other Regional and National DE Association in other contents to cover different issues and problems.
5. Exchange of Scholars: Working out a model for undertaking staff exchange programs in 'collaboration with other Regional and National DE Associations' in Europe, Asia and North America so that each year individual distance educators from India will visit other countries on reciprocal basis to share their individual experiences and learn from others. This will also provide international exposure to individual teachers which could be later utilized for the benefit of the institutions which they serve.
6. Clearing House: Establish a regular 'clearing house of information' within the country to help and assist teachers, research scholars and educational administrators working in various DE institutions.
7. IDEA Office: At present it has been the practice to request the University concerned where the Secretary General is employed to provide necessary Secretariat and other Office assistance and for the last several years. It is now proposed to establish a full- fledged office of its own with the assistance of national and international funding agencies proposals are being formulated for the establishment of a regular Secretariat of IDEA with certain staff taken on contract basis with a provision of computer and other necessary infrastructural facilities to undertake the above activities as well as offer regular consultancy services and quality support services.
8. IDEA Special Interest Groups: IDEA intends to constitute the following for undertaking specialized activities in the field concerned.
   • Academic Counselling
   • Training in OL & DE
   • Open Schooling
   • Distance Education Technology (DET)
   • Language Learning
   • Computer/ Media Technology
   • Online Learners Support Services
   • Library Support Services
   • Women India Distance Education Network
   • Research in Distance Education
   • Other to be specified and approved by IDEA Executive from time to time.