The Punjab Cabinet, under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, on Friday gave its assent to India’s first comprehensive policy under which private institutions would be allowed to establish fully digital universities in the state.
The Punjab Private Digital Open Universities Policy, 2026, is set to regulate and promote private digital open universities offering online and open distance learning (ODL) programmes, said an official statement, adding that the aim of the policy is to offer quality higher education to students of the state to enable them to grab better employment opportunities.
“Under this policy, private institutions can establish fully digital universities in Punjab. This is India’s first such policy and so far. Only Tripura has set up a digital university, but without a comprehensive policy, so Punjab becomes the first state to provide both a policy and a model in this area,” it said.
Now, students can complete their entire degree from home on mobile or laptop and these degrees will be legally valid and compliant with AICTE/UGC standards, the state government claimed.
A digital university is still mandated to have at least 2.5 acres of land, digital content creation studios, control rooms, IT server rooms, operations centres, Learning Management System (LMS), digital examination control rooms, tech-enabled call centres, 24x7 student support systems and a minimum Rs 20 crore corpus fund apart from state-of-the-art digital infrastructure, the government said, so that only serious and capable institutions come forward.
Also Read: Punjab Cabinet clears reforms to boost public services
The policy aligns with UGC Regulations, 2020, and introduces state-level standards for quality, accessibility, digital infrastructure, data governance, and learner protection, the statement further elaborated, adding that it is a “pioneering policy that will expand flexible, affordable higher education and position Punjab as a digital learning hub”.
Separate bills will be introduced in the Punjab Assembly for every approved proposal, ensuring each digital university is legally strong and transparent.
“This policy is modelled on the world’s successful digital universities like Western Governors University (USA), University of Phoenix (USA), Walden University (USA), Open University Malaysia and others who have provided low-cost, modern, high-quality education to millions of students,” the statement said.
With digital education picking pace and lakhs of students making use of free online lectures to sail through tough competitive examinations like JEE, NEET, and UPSC, it was high time that a policy be framed that makes room for digital education, the government stated.
This will prove to be a boon for students or professionals busy with life, family, or jobs as they will be able to complete degrees without quitting jobs, without changing cities and even without going to classrooms, it added.
“A new era of lifelong learning and upskilling will be heralded, thereby strengthening the culture of continuous learning in fields like IT, AI, Business, Healthcare, Manufacturing, and Data Science,” it said.
Follow us
