THE SCHOOL OF OPEN LEARNING (SOL) HAS FOR LONG BEEN LOOKED DOWN AS AN OPTION FOR AVERAGE STUDENTS. 

Delhi University’s School of Open Learning (SOL) has emerged from being a sanctuary for those who don’t get admission in University colleges to the most feasible option for the ‘futuristic’ generation. With the growing number of students enrolling for courses, the School is gaining popularity among the best students. It is revolutionising the domain of distance learning in the country.

 For example, when Neha Bhatt, with an aggregate of 85 per cent in class 12, opted for English Honours in the School of Open Learning, her friends and family were shocked. Neha pursued a job as a trainee in a media company alongside and thus made the most of her three years of graduation. She says, “Although it was difficult to convince my parents, I knew that only a graduation degree will not help me face the cut-throat competition. Hence, I chose to club academics with hands-on experience.” With a wink, the teenager adds, “In fact, now I have become a trendsetter in my family where my younger cousins are thinking of being smart the ‘Neha’ way.”

 SOL is governed by the same rules, offers the degree from DU, the same syllabus, the same evaluating authorities and almost the same examination papers. Moreover, migration is also possible from one system to another. Dr Pokhriyal, Executive Director, SOL, noted that the response to the School had been very encouraging in the past few years as it was no longer regarded the last resort for those who did not score well in Class 12.

STUDENTS SPEAK

“I was disheartened when I did not get admission in any good college and SOL was a dreaded option. But now I feel I could not made the best choice”, reveals Anubhav Sharma, Manager in a US-based marketing company who has done his BA from SOL. He adds, “With the flexibility of learning, it is a great system for those who believe in self-study. It is any day better than the exorbitant private universities as one can simultaneously pursue hobbies and professional courses as well.”

Not all share the same positive zeal of Anubhav. Students have to sacrifice a lot of things integral to the college environment. As Parul Garg, IP College, says, “After the restrictive school life, we all look forward to the recklessness of college life. Who doesn’t wish for the Bollywood style campus nuances?” While exposure is important for people like Parul one cannot expect to have everything.

SYSTEM ANALYSIS

While the courses offered are BA (Prog), BCom (Hons), BCom (Prog), Political Science (Hons) and English (Hons), SOL has also improvised its facilities to attract more students. Since the admission and examination processes are now computerized, students can now avoid the serpentine queues and can enroll within five minutes. Learners can simply take a print out of the admission tickets from the website and appear for the examination. To cater to the large influx of students from East Delhi, enrolling for the institution, it is now all set to open a new campus at Tahirpur. SOL has also tied up with companies like Genpact for getting their student recruited from the campus for training.

MEDIUM OF INSTRUCTION

The medium of instruction at SOL is primarily through printed course material that is distributed to the enrolled students on the spot of admission. This is also supplemented through a Personal Contact Programme.

For students who wish to pursue professional courses like CA and ICWA, SOL provides time, flexibility as well as a back up plan. Suvidhi Jain comments, “It was very difficult to manage your CA syllabus with the regular Bcom one. I did not want to compromise on my studies, so I opted for SOL and now I can easily utilise my time for studies and do my internship.”

Suvidhi is not the only one; most students resolve to SOL for the similar reasons. Also after ICAI’s change in regulations and requiring students to gain work experience, students from regular colleges are also expected to migrate to SOL. From being the measure of last resort to being the latest buzzword, SOL has come a long way. With its developing edge and growing popularity, it is definitely a worthy choice for those who can cope with self study and wish to manage their time to the maximum.