Education Ministry may consider expanding ONOS scheme to pvt universities

The Union Education Ministry is considering extending the One Nation One Subscription scheme to private higher education institutions, following representations from the private education sector

The Union Education Ministry is actively considering inclusion of around 31,000 private higher education institutions (HEIs) under the government’s One Nation One Subscription (ONOS) scheme, according to sources.

 

What has prompted the proposal to include private HEIs? 

While no timeline has been shared, people in the know told Business Standard that representations for the same have been submitted by private HEIs, which are under discussion by the ministry.

 

“The ministry is considering a proposal to make ONOS available to private HEIs on a pre-negotiated payment basis,” sources added. India has 473 private universities and over 31,000 private colleges, according to data from the latest All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) for 2021–22.

 

Who is currently eligible under the ONOS scheme? 

Currently, only government and government-aided laboratories, education institutions, and research and development (R&D) institutions are eligible to participate in ONOS.

 

How will access be managed under the scheme? 

The entire subscription process will be centrally coordinated by the Information and Library Network (INFLIBNET), an autonomous inter-university centre under the University Grants Commission (UGC).

 

“INFLIBNET will manage the distribution of digital access to these journals, ensuring a seamless experience for users,” the ministry has earlier stated.

 

What is ONOS and how will it be rolled out? 

Launched in January this year, ONOS is a central sector scheme of the Department of Higher Education that aims to provide nationwide access to international scientific and academic content under a unified subscription model to students, faculty members, and researchers from Indian HEIs and research organisations.

 

The first phase will allow all government institutes and universities to access scholarly articles published in 13,400 international journals. In the second phase, access will gradually be opened to private institutes, with universal access to published research studies being the final phase of expansion.