47 Oriental, Conventional and Non-conventional learning programmes in India

47.1 What the Syllabus Covers

The Indian higher-education landscape has three streams: oriental (traditional indigenous learning in Sanskrit/Pali/Prakrit/Arabic/Persian/Tibetan), conventional (formal university classroom education), and non-conventional (open, distance, online, MOOC, modular/skill).

PYQs reliably ask: (a) Sanskrit/Arabic-Persian/Indic-knowledge institution names (CSU 1791, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, Aliah University 2008, Jamia Hamdard, JMI Persian/Urdu studies), (b) founding year of IGNOU = 1985, IGNOU’s “Father of Distance Education in India” = G. Ram Reddy, (c) MOOC platform identification (SWAYAM, NPTEL, Coursera, edX, Udacity, Khan Academy), and (d) NIOS (only national open-school board), NCERT vs IGNOU, CBCS, AICTE Online Regulations 2021, HECI’s NHERC role on online learning.

47.2 Three Streams at a Glance

Three streams

Feature	Oriental	Conventional	Non-Conventional
Origin	Vedic/Gurukula	Western universities (Calcutta/Bombay/Madras 1857)	Britain’s Open University 1969
Medium	Sanskrit/Pali/Arabic/Persian/Tibetan	English/regional	Multi-medium
Site	Pathshala/Madarasa/Vihara	College/University campus	Self-learning + study centres
Teacher	Guru/Acharya/Maulvi	Salaried professor	Course writer + tutor + e-coach
Examples	CSU 1791 · Sampurnanand SU · Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan · Aliah · Darul Uloom Deoband 1866 · Jamia Hamdard	IITs · IIMs · DU · JNU · BHU · AMU	IGNOU 1985 · 14 State Open Universities · SWAYAM · NPTEL · NIOS

47.3 Oriental Learning — Sanskrit Stream

Sanskrit Education Institutions

Central Sanskrit University (CSU) — established by Central Sanskrit Universities Act 2020; converted three deemed universities (Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan New Delhi, Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha New Delhi, Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha Tirupati). Now headquartered in New Delhi.
Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan (RSkS) — 1970, deemed university; promoter and apex body for Sanskrit until 2020.
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) — founded 1916 by Madan Mohan Malaviya; major Sanskrit/Vedic studies centre.
Sampurnanand Sanskrit University Varanasi — 1791 (oldest in modern India, founded by Jonathan Duncan as Sanskrit College); declared university 1958. Often cited as the first Sanskrit institution of modern India.
Sri Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) Kalady — 1993, Kerala.
Karnataka Samskrit University Bengaluru — 2010.
Kavi Kulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University Ramtek — Maharashtra.
Shri Jagannath Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya Puri — Odisha.
Maharshi Panini Sanskrit University Ujjain — Madhya Pradesh.
Kameshwar Singh Darbhanga Sanskrit University — Bihar.
Curriculum: 4 Vedas + 6 Vedangas + Darshanas + Itihasa-Purana + Arsha Kavya + Vyakarana + Nyaya + Mimamsa + Vedanta + Sahitya + Ayurveda + Jyotisha + Vastu.
National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) — 2003 under IGNCA; preserves Sanskrit/Indic manuscripts.
IKS (Indian Knowledge Systems) Division, MoE — 2020, under NEP 2020.
Vedic Heritage Portal by IGNCA — 2020.

47.4 Oriental Learning — Pali, Prakrit, Tibetan & Buddhist

Pali / Prakrit / Buddhist Studies

Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS) Sarnath — 1967, founded by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru at the request of Dalai Lama; deemed university 1988; now Central University of Tibetan Studies, Varanasi (Sarnath).
Central Institute of Buddhist Studies Leh — 1959, Ladakh.
Nava Nalanda Mahavihara Nalanda — 1951, deemed 2006; Pali, Buddhist studies.
Nalanda University (Rajgir) — 2014; established by Nalanda University Act 2010; international partnership (East Asia Summit countries).
Sampurnanand Sanskrit University has Pali & Prakrit departments.
Tibetan Institute Dharamshala — Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1970.

47.5 Oriental Learning — Islamic / Arabic-Persian Stream

Madarasas, Darul Ulooms, Islamic Universities

Madarasa system — traditional Islamic education centred on Quran, Hadith, Fiqh, Sharia, Tafsir.
Two famous reform movements (19th century):
- Darul Uloom Deoband (UP, 1866) — founded by Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi and Rashid Ahmad Gangohi; “Deobandi school”.
- Nadwatul Ulama Lucknow — 1894.
- Aligarh Movement — Sir Syed Ahmad Khan founded Madrasatul Uloom Aligarh 1875 → MAO College 1877 → Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) 1920 (Act of Parliament).
Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), Delhi — founded 1920 at Aligarh; shifted to Delhi 1925; central university by Act 1988. Founders: Mahatma Gandhi, Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Zakir Husain.
Aliah University, Kolkata — 2008; descended from Calcutta Madrasah College founded by Warren Hastings 1781 (oldest Islamic institution in India).
Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) Hyderabad — central university 1998; Urdu medium.
Jamia Hamdard, Delhi — deemed 1989; founder Hakim Abdul Hameed; Unani medicine, Islamic studies.
Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Urdu, Arabi-Farsi University, Lucknow — 2010.
Central Madrasa Board proposed in past (not enacted).
National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language (NCPUL) — 1996, under MoE.
Maktab → Madrasa → Darul Uloom = primary → secondary → higher Islamic.

47.6 Other Oriental Streams

Other Oriental Streams

Yoga and Naturopathy:
- Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga (MDNIY), Delhi — under Ministry of AYUSH.
- S-VYASA Yoga University, Bengaluru — 2002.
- Patanjali University, Haridwar.
Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Homoeopathy:
- Ministry of AYUSH (2014) — apex.
- Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda (ITRA), Jamnagar — INI, 2020.
- National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA), Jaipur — 1976.
Tribal/Indigenous Knowledge:
- Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) Amarkantak MP — 2007.
Performing arts: Sangeet Natak Akademi 1953, Kalakshetra Chennai, Bhatkhande Sangit Vidyapith Lucknow.
Fine arts: Lalit Kala Akademi 1954, Kala Bhavana Santiniketan.

47.7 Conventional Higher Education

Conventional Higher Education Features

Origin: 1857 — Universities of Calcutta, Bombay, Madras founded under Wood’s Despatch 1854, by Lord Dalhousie / Charles Wood.
Hierarchy: Affiliated college → University → Statutory body (UGC/AICTE etc.).
Levels: UG (3-4 yr) → PG (2 yr) → MPhil (phasing out per NEP 2020) → PhD.
Semester system + CBCS (Choice-Based Credit System) introduced UGC 2015.
Curriculum: mostly classroom + lab + project + internship.
Evaluation: internal + external; CBCS 10-point grading (UGC 2015).
Entry tests: CUET (UG) 2022, CUET-PG 2022, NEET, JEE, CAT, CLAT, NET.
Strengths: depth, mentor presence, peer learning, lab/research.
Limitations: geography-bound, expensive, capped seats.

47.8 Non-Conventional Learning — ODL and Open Education

ODL and Open Education

Open University concept: Open University UK (1969) under Harold Wilson — first in the world.
Distance Education in India:
- University of Delhi School of Correspondence Courses — 1962 (first in India).
- Andhra Pradesh Open University (later Dr B.R. Ambedkar Open University) — 1982 (first state open university).
- IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University) — 20 September 1985 by IGNOU Act 1985.
  - G. Ram Reddy = first VC; “Father of Distance Education in India”.
  - HQ: Maidan Garhi, New Delhi.
  - Largest open university in the world by enrolment (~30 lakh learners).
  - 67 regional centres, 2,600+ study centres in India and 35 countries.
  - Medium: ~30 languages.
  - Awards UG, PG, diploma, certificate, PhD.
- 14 State Open Universities (SOUs) including:
  - Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, Nashik (1989).
  - Nalanda Open University, Patna (1987).
  - Karnataka State Open University, Mysuru (1996).
  - Tamil Nadu Open University, Chennai (2002).
  - Madhya Pradesh Bhoj Open University, Bhopal (1991).
DEB (Distance Education Bureau) under UGC since 2013.
Online Learning Regulations — UGC 2018, 2020, 2021.
AICTE Open Online Courses Regs — 2016, 2021.
National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), 1989 — largest open-school board globally; under MoE.

47.9 MOOCs and Online Education

MOOC Platforms

Platform	Year	Founders / Host
Coursera	2012	Daphne Koller + Andrew Ng (Stanford)
edX	2012	MIT + Harvard
Udacity	2012	Sebastian Thrun (Stanford)
Khan Academy	2006	Salman Khan
FutureLearn	2013	Open University UK
Udemy	2010	Eren Bali
NPTEL	2003	IITs + IISc, MoE-funded
SWAYAM	2017	MoE, India
DIKSHA	2017	NCERT, MoE (school)
e-PG Pathshala	2014	INFLIBNET (UGC)
National Digital Library of India (NDLI)	2015	IIT Kharagpur
e-Yantra	2010	IIT Bombay (robotics)
Spoken Tutorial	2007	IIT Bombay

SWAYAM Details

Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds — launched 9 July 2017 by Ministry of Education.
4-quadrant pedagogy: Video lecture · Specially prepared reading · Self-assessment · Online discussion forum.
9 National Coordinators:
1. AICTE — self-paced & international.
2. NPTEL — engineering.
3. UGC — non-technical PG.
4. CEC — UG (under-graduate, Consortium for Educational Communication).
5. NCERT — school (Class 1-12).
6. NIOS — school (open schooling).
7. IGNOU — out-of-school / open.
8. IIM Bangalore (IIMB) — management.
9. NITTTR — teacher training.
SWAYAM Prabha — 40 DTH TV channels for educational content.
Credit transfer: Up to 40% of any course can be SWAYAM (UGC Credit Framework 2016 / NEP 2020).
MoOCs Online Degree Programme (MODP) by IIT Madras (BSc Data Science, BS Electronic Systems).

47.10 Non-Conventional — Modular and Skill-Based

Modular and Skill-Based

National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) — 2013; 10 levels.
Skill India Mission — 15 July 2015 (World Youth Skills Day).
PMKVY (Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana) — 2015; PMKVY 4.0 in 2023-24.
NSDC (National Skill Development Corporation) — 2009.
NCVET (National Council for Vocational Education and Training) — 2018; merged NCVT + NSDA.
Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) — DGT, MSDE.
Apprenticeship Act 1961; National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) 2016.
Sector Skill Councils (SSCs) — 36+ sectors.
MEME (NEP 2020) — modular degree exit.
Polytechnics — Diploma in Engineering, ~3 yr.
PMKK (Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras) — 700+ centres.
Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) — adult learning, NIOS-aligned.
DDU-GKY — Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (rural youth).

47.11 Comparison: Open vs Conventional vs MOOC

Three Modes Compared

Feature	Conventional	Open / Distance (IGNOU)	MOOC (SWAYAM)
Entry	Cut-off / entrance	Open access	Open + free
Mode	F2F classroom	Print + audio-video + LMS	Pure online
Pace	Fixed	Semi-flexible	Self-paced
Cost	High	Low	Free / freemium
Credits	Yes	Yes	Yes (limited)
Degree	Yes	Yes	Certificate; degree if MoOC degree (IITM)
Quality assurance	NAAC/NBA	DEB UGC	National Coordinators
Recognition	Universal	UGC accepts (DEB list)	UGC Credit Framework 2016
Example	DU BA	IGNOU BA	NPTEL course

47.12 Theory Anchors

Key Architects and Institutions

Person / Institution	Contribution
Jonathan Duncan	Founded Sanskrit College Varanasi 1791 → Sampurnanand SU
Warren Hastings	Calcutta Madrasah 1781 → Aliah
Madan Mohan Malaviya	BHU 1916
Sir Syed Ahmad Khan	MAO College 1875-77 → AMU 1920
Maulana M.Q. Nanautawi	Darul Uloom Deoband 1866
Gandhi, M.A. Jauhar, Zakir Husain	Jamia Millia Islamia 1920
Pandit Nehru	CIHTS Sarnath 1967
Harold Wilson	UK Open University 1969
G. Ram Reddy	Father of Distance Education in India; IGNOU 1985
NPTEL	IITs + IISc, 2003
SWAYAM	MoE 2017
MoOCs Online Degree Programme	IIT Madras
Wood’s Despatch	1854; led to Calcutta/Bombay/Madras universities 1857
NEP 2020 / Kasturirangan	40% online + MEME + ABC + HECI

47.13 Practice Questions

Q 01 IGNOU Easy

IGNOU was established in:

A1962
B1982
C1985
D1995

View solution

Correct Option: C

IGNOU Act 1985. First VC G. Ram Reddy. Largest ODL in world.

Q 02 Distance Ed Medium

India's first state open university (1982) was:

AIGNOU
BAndhra Pradesh Open University (later Ambedkar OU)
CNalanda Open University
DYCMOU Nashik

View solution

Correct Option: B

Andhra Pradesh Open University 1982, later renamed Dr B.R. Ambedkar Open University.

Q 03 SWAYAM Medium

SWAYAM follows a 4-quadrant pedagogy. Which is NOT one?

AVideo lecture
BReading material
CSelf-assessment
DPhysical lab session

View solution

Correct Option: D

4 quadrants: video · reading · self-assessment · online discussion forum. No lab.

Q 04 SWAYAM Hard

How many National Coordinators does SWAYAM have?

View solution

Correct Option: C

9: AICTE · NPTEL · UGC · CEC · NCERT · NIOS · IGNOU · IIMB · NITTTR.

Q 05 NPTEL Medium

NPTEL was started in 2003 by:

AUGC alone
BIITs + IISc
CNCERT
DDRDO

View solution

Correct Option: B

NPTEL = National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning by IITs and IISc; MoE-funded.

Q 06 Open University Medium

The world's first Open University was set up in 1969 in:

AIndia
BUnited Kingdom
CUSA
DAustralia

View solution

Correct Option: B

Open University UK 1969 under PM Harold Wilson — the global pioneer.

Q 07 Correspondence Hard

The first correspondence education in India was started by:

AUniversity of Delhi (1962)
BJNU (1969)
CBHU (1948)
DIGNOU (1985)

View solution

Correct Option: A

University of Delhi School of Correspondence Courses (1962) — India's first.

Q 08 Sanskrit Medium

Sampurnanand Sanskrit University (Varanasi) was founded as a Sanskrit College in:

A1701
B1791
C1857
D1916

View solution

Correct Option: B

1791 by Jonathan Duncan; declared university 1958.

Q 09 AMU Medium

Aligarh Muslim University was preceded by which institution founded by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan in 1875?

ADarul Uloom Deoband
BMAO College
CJamia Hamdard
DAliah College

View solution

Correct Option: B

Madrasatul Uloom 1875 → MAO College 1877 → AMU 1920.

Q 10 Madarasa Hard

Darul Uloom Deoband (1866) was founded by:

ASir Syed Ahmad Khan
BMaulana Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi
CMaulana Azad
DHakim Abdul Hameed

View solution

Correct Option: B

Maulana Muhammad Qasim Nanautawi, 1866. Deobandi school.

Q 11 Aliah Hard

Calcutta Madrasah, established 1781 by Warren Hastings, evolved into which present-day university (2008)?

AAMU
BJamia Millia Islamia
CAliah University
DMANUU

View solution

Correct Option: C

Calcutta Madrasah 1781 → Aliah University 2008, Kolkata.

Q 12 NIOS Easy

NIOS was established in:

A1985
B1989
C1995
D2002

View solution

Correct Option: B

NIOS 1989 (originally NOS, renamed 2002) — world's largest open-school board.

Q 13 SWAYAM Medium

SWAYAM was launched by Government of India in:

A2014
B2017
C2020
D2022

View solution

Correct Option: B

SWAYAM 9 July 2017. SWAYAM Prabha 40 DTH channels alongside.

Q 14 Coursera Medium

Coursera was co-founded in 2012 by:

ASebastian Thrun
BDaphne Koller and Andrew Ng
CSalman Khan
DTim Berners-Lee

View solution

Correct Option: B

Daphne Koller + Andrew Ng (Stanford). Thrun = Udacity; Khan = Khan Academy.

Q 15 CIHTS Hard

The Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (now Central University of Tibetan Studies) is located at:

ADharamshala
BSarnath, Varanasi
CLeh
DSikkim

View solution

Correct Option: B

Sarnath, Varanasi. Founded 1967 by Pandit Nehru at Dalai Lama's request.

Q 16 CBCS Medium

CBCS (Choice-Based Credit System) was introduced for Indian universities by UGC in:

A2008
B2012
C2015
D2020

View solution

Correct Option: C

UGC CBCS 2015 with 10-point grading.

Q 17 Online Credits Medium

Under NEP 2020 / UGC framework, what fraction of a course can be completed via SWAYAM online?

A10%
B20%
C40%
D100%

View solution

Correct Option: C

Up to 40% via SWAYAM (UGC Credit Framework 2016 / NEP 2020).

Q 18 NSQF Hard

The National Skills Qualification Framework (NSQF) was notified in 2013 with how many levels?

View solution

Correct Option: C

10 levels, NSQF 2013, MSDE.

Q 19 Skill India Medium

Skill India Mission and PMKVY were launched in:

A2009
B2014
C2015
D2020

View solution

Correct Option: C

15 July 2015 (World Youth Skills Day). PMKVY = Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana.

Q 20 Match Hard

Match institution with founder/year:

(i)	Darul Uloom Deoband	(a)	Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, 1875
(ii)	MAO College Aligarh	(b)	Nanautawi, 1866
(iii)	IGNOU	(c)	Government of India, 1985
(iv)	SWAYAM	(d)	Ministry of Education, 2017

A(i)-b, (ii)-a, (iii)-c, (iv)-d
B(i)-a, (ii)-b, (iii)-c, (iv)-d
C(i)-d, (ii)-c, (iii)-b, (iv)-a
D(i)-c, (ii)-b, (iii)-a, (iv)-d

View solution

Correct Option: A

Deoband→Nanautawi 1866; MAO→Syed 1875; IGNOU→GoI 1985; SWAYAM→MoE 2017.

47.14 Quick Recall

Quick recall

Three streams: Oriental (Sanskrit/Pali/Arabic/Persian/Tibetan) · Conventional (formal university) · Non-Conventional (open/distance/online/modular).
Sanskrit: Sampurnanand SU Varanasi 1791 (Jonathan Duncan) · BHU 1916 (Malaviya) · Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan 1970 · Central Sanskrit University Act 2020 · 10+ SUs across India.
Buddhist/Tibetan: CIHTS Sarnath 1967 (Nehru/Dalai Lama) = Central University of Tibetan Studies · Nava Nalanda Mahavihara 1951 · Nalanda University Act 2010, opened 2014 · Central Institute of Buddhist Studies Leh 1959.
Islamic: Calcutta Madrasah 1781 (Warren Hastings) → Aliah 2008 · Darul Uloom Deoband 1866 (Nanautawi) · MAO College 1875-77 (Syed) → AMU 1920 · Jamia Millia Islamia 1920 (Gandhi/Jauhar/Husain) → CU 1988 · MANUU 1998 Hyderabad · Jamia Hamdard (Hakim Abdul Hameed) · Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Urdu Arabi-Farsi University Lucknow 2010 · NCPUL 1996.
Yoga/Ayush: Ministry of AYUSH 2014 · MDNIY Delhi · ITRA Jamnagar INI 2020 · NIA Jaipur 1976 · S-VYASA Bengaluru · Patanjali Haridwar.
Conventional origin: Wood’s Despatch 1854 → Calcutta/Bombay/Madras 1857 (Charles Wood/Dalhousie). CBCS UGC 2015 · CUET 2022.
ODL origin: UK Open University 1969 (Harold Wilson) · DU Correspondence 1962 · AP Open University 1982 · IGNOU 1985 (G. Ram Reddy, Father of DE in India) — largest in world, 30 lakh learners, HQ Maidan Garhi New Delhi · 14 SOUs · DEB-UGC 2013 · NIOS 1989 (world’s largest open school).
MOOCs: Coursera 2012 (Koller+Ng Stanford) · edX 2012 (MIT+Harvard) · Udacity 2012 (Thrun) · Khan Academy 2006 (Salman Khan) · FutureLearn 2013 (OU UK) · Udemy 2010 · NPTEL 2003 (IITs+IISc) · SWAYAM 9 July 2017 (MoE) · DIKSHA 2017 (NCERT) · e-PG Pathshala 2014 (INFLIBNET) · NDLI 2015 (IITKgp) · e-Yantra 2010 · Spoken Tutorial 2007 (IITB).
SWAYAM 4 quadrants: Video · Reading · Self-assessment · Discussion forum.
SWAYAM 9 NCs: AICTE · NPTEL · UGC · CEC · NCERT · NIOS · IGNOU · IIMB · NITTTR.
SWAYAM Prabha: 40 DTH channels. MODP IIT-Madras: BSc Data Science.
Credit transfer: 40% of any course via SWAYAM (UGC CF 2016 / NEP 2020).
Skill stack: NSDC 2009 · NSQF 2013 (10 levels) · MSDE 2014 · Skill India Mission + PMKVY 15 July 2015 · NCVET 2018 · NAPS 2016 · Apprenticeship Act 1961 · ITIs/DGT · 36+ SSCs · PMKK 700+ · JSS · DDU-GKY.
Open Schooling: NIOS 1989 (renamed 2002) — largest globally.
NEP 2020 push: 40% online · MEME · ABC under DigiLocker · HECI · NETF · MERUs.