Distance Education Council (DEC)

Distance Education Council has been established as a statutory authority under the IGNOU Act. The DEC is responsible for promotion, coordination and maintenance of standards of open and distance education system in the country.

The apex body role envisages the establishment and development of an Open University Network by sharing the intellectual and physical resources within the distance education system among different institutions and enriching the system by extending its outreach, on the one hand, and ensuring the quality standards of its programmes of education and training, on the other. In discharging its responsibility, the Distance Education Council also provides development funding to open universities and distance education institutions from the funds placed at its disposal by the Central Government. The DEC has been supporting all the State Open Universities (SOUs) since eighth plan and Distance Education Institutions (DEIs) of conventional universities since ninth plan. Resently, there is one National Open University (IGNOU), eleven (SOUs) and a number of DEIs in different states.