Objectives Of YCMOU

The objects of the Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University shall be—

(a) to provide through instruction, teaching and training and other educational opportunities, access to larger and larger segments of the population, and in particular to the disadvantaged groups such as those living in remote and rural areas including working people, housewives and other adults who wish to upgrade or acquire knowledge through studies in various fields ;

(b) to strengthen and diversify the degree, diploma and certificate courses, at various educational levels, to fulfil the knowledge, skill and developmental needs of the individuals, institutions and society in general, by relating, particularly, the courses to the needs of employment and economic development of the State on the basis of its natural and human resources ;

(c) to promote acquisition of knowledge in a rapidly developing and changing society and to continually offer opportunities of upgrading knowledge, training and skills in the context of innovations, research and discovery in all fields of human endeavour by developing educational network with the use of modern communication media and technologies appropriate for a learning society ;

(d) to provide an innovative system of university level education, flexible and open, in regard to methods and pace of learning, combination of courses, eligibility for enrolment, age of entry, conduct of examination and operation of the programmes with a view to promote learning and encourage excellence in all fields of knowledge ;

(e) to contribute to the improvement of the educational system in the State by providing a non-formal channel complementary to the formal system and encouraging transfer of credits and exchange of teaching staff by making wide use of texts and other software developed by the University ;

(f) to develop innovative, need based vocational courses and establish industry, institution linkage for developing the society ;

(g) to provide through incidental and non-formal means, for continuing and extension of education in various cultural forms, arts, crafts and skills of the country, raising their quality and improving their availability to the people ;

(h) to provide suitable post-graduate courses of study and promote and make provision for research and development in various fields of knowledge and particularly in the field of educational technologies and distance or mediated education for effective and efficient teaching, learning, evaluation and dissemination of knowledge ;

(i) to provide or arrange for training of teachers required for open and distance education system ;

(j) to provide for counselling and guidance to its students ; and

(k) to promote national integration, integrated development of the human personality and advance the culture of the people of Maharashtra in particular, and India in general, using rich cultural heritage and traditions of social reform of the people of Maharashtra.

(l) to provide major part of its resources and direct efforts in designing, developing and offering need-based and relevant vocational and techinical courses forming major thrust of the University;

(m) to have least dependence on the grants of the State Government and, after the inital formative period of about five years, be self-supporting in its operating cost by attracting social and private contributions to its programmes and by charging fees based on unit operating cost ;

(n) to develop working culture and achieving economics of scale through mechanization, computerization and economic and efficient administration without any loss of quality and standards in education.