Indira Gandhi National Open University
Encyclopedia
The Indira Gandhi National Open University , known as IGNOU is a national university
with its headquarters in New Delhi
, Delhi
, India
. Named after former Prime Minister of India
, Indira Gandhi
, the university was established in 1985 with a budget of 2000 crore, when the Parliament of India
passed the Indira Gandhi National Open University Act, 1985 (IGNOU Act 1985).
IGNOU, the largest university
in the world with 3,500,000 students; was founded to impart education by means of distance and open education, provide higher education opportunities particularly to the disadvantaged segments of society, to encourage, coordinate and set standards for distance and open education in India and strengthen the human resources of India through education.
Apart from teaching and research, extension and training form the mainstay of its academic activities. It also acts as a national resource centre, and serves to promote and maintain standards of distance education in India. IGNOU hosts the Secretariats of the SAARC Consortium on Open and Distance Learning
(SACODiL) and the Global Mega Universities Network (GMUNET) initially supported by UNESCO
.
IGNOU has now started it decentralisation process by setting up five zones, viz, north, south, east, west and north east. The first of the regional head quarters, catering to four southern states, puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep is being set up in the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram
in Kerala
Vice-Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University.
The working group had recommended establishing an Open University by an act of parliament as early as possible. The university should have jurisdiction over the entire country so that, when it is fully developed, any student even in the remotest corner of the country can have access to its instruction and degrees (Working Group Report, 1974).
The working group suggested several measures to be followed in instructional and management processes of the open university which include: admission procedure, age relaxation, preparation of reading materials, setting up of core group scholars in different fields, setting up of study centres, vehicle of curricular programmes, live contact with teachers, and so on. On the basis of the recommendations of the working group, the Union Government prepared a draft bill for the establishment of a National Open University, but due to some reasons the progress was delayed.
In 1985 the Union Government made a policy statement for establishment of a national open university. A Committee was constituted by the Ministry of Education to chalk out the plan of action of the national Open University. On the basis of the report of the Committee, the Union Government introduced a Bill in the Parliament. In August 1985, both the Houses of the Parliament passed the Bill. Subsequently, the National Open University came into existence on September 20, 1985. It was named after late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The Indira Gandhi National Open University (established by the Act of Parliament) is responsible for introducing and promoting distance education at the university level, and for coordinating, determining and maintaining standards in such systems functioning in the country.
In 1989, the first Convocation was held and more than 1,000 students graduated and were awarded their diplomas. IGNOU audio-video courses were first broadcasted by radio and television in 1990 and IGNOU awarded degrees received full recognition by the University Grants Commission
in 1992 as being equivalent to those of other universities in the country.
In 1999, IGNOU launched the first virtual campus
in India, beginning with the delivery of Computer and Information Sciences courses via the Internet.
Horticulture Cell
S.R. SAMRAJ
S.K. Yadav
(AIU) recognises IGNOU conferred degrees as on par with the degrees conferred by its members and the All India Council for Technical Education
(AICTE) recognises the Master of Computer Applications
and Master of Business Administration
program of IGNOU.
In 1993, IGNOU was designated by the Commonwealth of Learning
(COL) as its first Centre of Excellence for Distance Education empowered "to actively participate in Commonwealth co-operative endeavours to identify, nurture, and strengthen open learning institutions throughout the Commonwealth, particularly in the Third World ..".
IGNOU also operates as an accreditor for open university and distance education systems in India through the Distance Education Council
(DEC). Authority to do so is granted under Clause 16 and Statute 28 of the IGNOU Act 1985.
and registration is free.
The inauguration was followed by the 25th Foundation Day Lecture, delivered by Dr. Narendra Jadhav, Member Planning Commission, Government of India.
One of the major activities proposed as part of the Silver Jubilee Year is the organisation of IGNOU Silver Jubilee Lectures, as a monthly event commencing from December 2009. Renowned experts and practitioners from different areas and academic disciplines will be invited to deliver talks, the topics of which broadly fall within the areas of 'inclusion of the excluded' and/or 'education for marginalised'.
, Kerala
), India
. The theme of PCF6 was: Access and Success in Learning: Global Development Perspectives
PCF6 as an international forum explores the contribution of open and distance learning to international development goals, by opening up access to learning at every level. The Forum brings together practitioners, researchers, planners and policy makers in the fields of open and distance learning and development from over 70 countries. It provides opportunities to share experience and expertise, and to contribute to future policy and provision. Participants will represent the main Commonwealth, Asia and international institutions and agencies active in the field, including funding bodies and technology providers.
The Commonwealth of Learning
's biennial Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning has grown to become a leading international forum on learning and development. PCF6 brought the forum to India for the first time, jointly organized by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), coinciding with the completion of 25 years of IGNOU.
or Kenya
, and an initial cost is estimated at 150 crore ($3.5 million), with an annual cost or 100 crore. It has been reported that it could take between six months and a year to implement, and would fuel demand in Africa for higher studies in Indian institutions.
National university
A national university is generally a university created or run by a government, but which at the same time operates autonomously without direct oversight or control by the state. Some national universities are closely associated with national cultural or political aspirations...
with its headquarters in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Named after former Prime Minister of India
Prime Minister of India
The Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
, Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
, the university was established in 1985 with a budget of 2000 crore, when the Parliament of India
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India is the supreme legislative body in India. Founded in 1919, the Parliament alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all political bodies in India. The Parliament of India comprises the President and the two Houses, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha...
passed the Indira Gandhi National Open University Act, 1985 (IGNOU Act 1985).
IGNOU, the largest university
World's largest universities
This list of largest universities by enrollment includes total active enrollment across all campuses . Enrollment numbers listed are the sum of undergraduate and graduate students in active enrollment...
in the world with 3,500,000 students; was founded to impart education by means of distance and open education, provide higher education opportunities particularly to the disadvantaged segments of society, to encourage, coordinate and set standards for distance and open education in India and strengthen the human resources of India through education.
Apart from teaching and research, extension and training form the mainstay of its academic activities. It also acts as a national resource centre, and serves to promote and maintain standards of distance education in India. IGNOU hosts the Secretariats of the SAARC Consortium on Open and Distance Learning
SAARC Consortium on Open and Distance Learning
The SAARC Consortium on Open and Distance Learning ' is a regional cooperation agency set up under the auspices of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation with the objectives of promoting cooperation and collaboration among institutions imparting knowledge through open and distance...
(SACODiL) and the Global Mega Universities Network (GMUNET) initially supported by UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
.
IGNOU has now started it decentralisation process by setting up five zones, viz, north, south, east, west and north east. The first of the regional head quarters, catering to four southern states, puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep is being set up in the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
History
In 1970 (International Education Year), the Ministry of Education and Social Welfare in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the UGC and the Indian National Commission for cooperation with UNESCO, organised a seminar on 'Open University'. The seminar recommended the establishment of an open university in India on an experimental basis. The Government of India appointed eight member working group on Open University in 1974. The leading role was given to G. Parthasarathi, the thenVice-Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University.
The working group had recommended establishing an Open University by an act of parliament as early as possible. The university should have jurisdiction over the entire country so that, when it is fully developed, any student even in the remotest corner of the country can have access to its instruction and degrees (Working Group Report, 1974).
The working group suggested several measures to be followed in instructional and management processes of the open university which include: admission procedure, age relaxation, preparation of reading materials, setting up of core group scholars in different fields, setting up of study centres, vehicle of curricular programmes, live contact with teachers, and so on. On the basis of the recommendations of the working group, the Union Government prepared a draft bill for the establishment of a National Open University, but due to some reasons the progress was delayed.
| Vice Chancellors |
|---|
|
In 1989, the first Convocation was held and more than 1,000 students graduated and were awarded their diplomas. IGNOU audio-video courses were first broadcasted by radio and television in 1990 and IGNOU awarded degrees received full recognition by the University Grants Commission
University Grants Commission (India)
The University Grants Commission of India is a statutory organisation set up by Union government in 1956, for the coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of university education. It provides recognition for universities in India, and provides funds for government-recognised...
in 1992 as being equivalent to those of other universities in the country.
In 1999, IGNOU launched the first virtual campus
E-learning
E-learning comprises all forms of electronically supported learning and teaching. The information and communication systems, whether networked learning or not, serve as specific media to implement the learning process...
in India, beginning with the delivery of Computer and Information Sciences courses via the Internet.
Schools
IGNOU currently serves approximately 3.5 million students in India and 40 countries abroad(UAE , UK , Qatar , Kuwait , Oman , Bahrain , Saudi Arabia , Seychelles , Mauritius , Maldives , Ethiopia , Namibia , Kenya , Myanmar , Vietnam , Singapore , Indonesia , Malaysia , China , Nepal , Sri Lanka , Kyrgyzstan , Afghanistan , Fiji , France , Ethiopia , Ghana , Gambia , Sierra Leone , Madagascar , Liberia , West Indies , Samoa , Lesotho , Malawi , Swaziland , Nigeria , Mongolia) in twenty one schools and a network of 59 regional centres, 7 sub-regional centres, 2600 study centres, and 52 overseas centres. Approximately 20% of all students enrolled in higher education in India are enrolled with IGNOU. IGNOU offers 175 academic programs comprising 1100 courses at certificate, diploma and degree levels. In addition, a number of non-accredited extension and skill-oriented programmes are on offer through the twenty-one Schools:Divisions
The Indira Gandhi National Open University has the following Eleven Divisions to take care of various activities.| DIVISION | HEAD |
|---|---|
| Academic and Coordination Division | MSS Raju |
| Administrative Division | kumar agrwal |
| Construction and Maintenance | Sudheer Reddy |
| Computer Division srinivas agrawal |
|
| International Division | Silima Nanda |
| Finance and Accounts Division | Manju Verma |
| Library and Documentation Division | Sudhir K. Arora |
| Material Production and Distribution | Dr. R. R. Rausaria |
| Planning and Development Division | Kalpna Mishra |
| Regional Services Division | Masood Parveez |
| Student Registration and Evaluation | Pushplata Tripathi (Evaluation) K. Laxman (Registration) |
Institutes, cells, centers, and consortia
| INSTITUTE | DIRECTOR |
|---|---|
| Advance Centre for Informatics and Innovative Learning | K Subramanian |
| Distance Education Council Distance Education Council Distance Education Council is an organisation based in New Delhi, India responsible for the promotion and coordination of the open university and distance education system and for determination of its standards in India. The Council was constituted under the Indira Gandhi National Open University... |
|
| Electronic Media Production Center | K Ravi Kanth |
| National Centre for Innovations in Distance Education | M Aslam |
| Inter-University Consortium For Technology-Enabled Flexible Education & Development | Madhu Parhar |
| Centre for Extension Education | M Chandrasekharan Nair |
| Staff Training and Research Institute of Distance Education | Basanti Pradhan |
| National Council for Disability Studies | Hemlata |
S.R. SAMRAJ
S.K. Yadav
Accreditation & recognition
IGNOU is granted the authority to confer degrees by Clause 5(1)(iii) of the IGNOU Act 1985. IGNOU is also recognised as a Central University by the University Grants Commission of India (UGC). The Association of Indian UniversitiesAssociation of Indian Universities
Association of Indian Universities is an organisation based in Delhi India to evaluate the courses, syllabi, standard and credits of foreign Universities and to equate them in relation to various courses offered by Indian Universities....
(AIU) recognises IGNOU conferred degrees as on par with the degrees conferred by its members and the All India Council for Technical Education
All India Council for Technical Education
The All India Council for Technical Education is the statutory body and a national-level council for technical education, under Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development...
(AICTE) recognises the Master of Computer Applications
Master of Computer Applications
The Master of Computer Applications is a postgraduate degree in computer application streams awarded in India. Full time MCA programmes normally take three academic years. The primary emphasis in MCA curriculum is on the development of diverse types of application software rather than designing...
and Master of Business Administration
Master of Business Administration
The Master of Business Administration is a :master's degree in business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States, emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and companies sought out...
program of IGNOU.
In 1993, IGNOU was designated by the Commonwealth of Learning
Commonwealth of Learning
The Commonwealth of Learning is an intergovernmental organization of the Commonwealth of Nations headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...
(COL) as its first Centre of Excellence for Distance Education empowered "to actively participate in Commonwealth co-operative endeavours to identify, nurture, and strengthen open learning institutions throughout the Commonwealth, particularly in the Third World ..".
IGNOU also operates as an accreditor for open university and distance education systems in India through the Distance Education Council
Distance Education Council
Distance Education Council is an organisation based in New Delhi, India responsible for the promotion and coordination of the open university and distance education system and for determination of its standards in India. The Council was constituted under the Indira Gandhi National Open University...
(DEC). Authority to do so is granted under Clause 16 and Statute 28 of the IGNOU Act 1985.
Convocations in the past
| Convocation | Held On | Chief Guest | Designation | Honoris causa Awarded | Number of Degrees/ Diplomas/ Certificates/ Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ist | 21.02.1989 | Rajiv Gandhi | Prime Minister | Dr. Shridath S. Ramphal, Secretary General, COL | 1171 |
| IInd | 27.04.1991 | Dr. S. D. Sharma | Vice President | 3807 | |
| IIIrd | 25.04.1992 | Arjun Singh | Minister for Human Resource Development | 4907 | |
| IVth | 05.05.1993 | R. Venkataraman R. Venkataraman Ramaswamy Venkataraman was an Indian lawyer, Indian independence activist and politician who served as a Union minister and as the eighth President of India.... |
Former President of India President of India The President of India is the head of state and first citizen of India, as well as the Supreme Commander of the Indian Armed Forces. President of India is also the formal head of all the three branches of Indian Democracy - Legislature, Executive and Judiciary... |
G. Ram Reddy, Former VC of IGNOU | 4444 |
| Vth | 16.04.1994 | James A Maraj | President of COL | James A Maraj, President of COL | 7580 |
| VIth | 06.05.1995 | Madhav Rao Scindia | Ministry for Human Resource Development | 9246 | |
| VIIth | 11.05.1996 | Justice R.N. Mishra | Chairman, National Human Rights Commission | 12301 | |
| VIIIth | 08.03.1997 | Madhu Dandavate | Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission | 16149 | |
| IXth | 07.03.1998 | Krishna Kanth | Vice President | 25080 | |
| Xth | 14.03.1999 | Dr. Karan Singh Karan Singh Karan Singh is an MP in the Rajya Sabha, a senior member of the ruling Indian National Congress Party serving as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Department, President of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations , India's Ambassador to UNESCO, Chairman of the Auroville Foundation and of the Temple... |
Member of Parliament | Mahasweta Devi Mahasweta Devi Mahasweta Devi is an Indian social activist and writer.- Biography :Mahasweta Devi was born in 1926 in Dhaka, to literary parents in a Hindu Brahmin family. Her father Manish Ghatak was a well known poet and novelist of the Kallol era, who used the pseudonym Jubanashwa... , Eminent Writer & Social Worker |
33119 |
| XIth | 04.03.2000 | K. C. Pant | Deputy Chairman Planning Commission | V. C. Kulandaiswamy, Former VC of IGNOU | 53328 |
| XIIth | 03.03.2001 | M. G. K. Menon | Eminent Scientist | 62369 | |
| XIIIth | 21.03.2002 | Murali Manohar Joshi | Minister for Human Resource Development | 78074 | |
| XIVth | 22.02.2003 | Sir John Daniel | Assistant Director General, UNESCO and Former VC of UKOU |
|
81931 |
| XVth | 21.02.2004 | Dr. K. Kasturirangan | Former Chairman, ISRO and Former Secretary Department of Space, Government of India, Member of Rajya Sabha |
|
74603 |
| XVIth | 05.03.2005 | Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam | President of India |
|
71298 |
| XVIIth | 18.02.2006 | Dr. Anil Kakodkar | Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India |
|
75174 |
| XVIIIth | 17.03.2007 | Justice K. G. Balakrishnan | Chief Justice of India |
|
111699 |
| XIXth | 16.02.2008 | Dr. Hamid Ansari | Vice- President, Republic of India |
|
101346 |
| XXth | 28.02.2009 | R Natarajan | Former Chairman AICTE Former Director IIT Madras |
||
| XXIst | 15.03.2010 | S K Joshi | Former Director General CSIR | Gen. Deepak Kapoor Deepak Kapoor General Deepak Kapoor PVSM, AVSM, SM, VSM, ADC was the 25th Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army, appointed on 30 September 2007 and Chairman, Chiefs of Staffs Committee appointed on 31 August 2009.... |
135,000 |
eGyanKosh
The website eGyanKosh shares digital learning resources developed by open and distance learning institutions in the India. Items in eGyanKosh are protected by copyrightCopyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
and registration is free.
Silver Jubilee celebrations
On the 92nd birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi, IGNOU completed twenty five years of its existence. This event was marked by the inauguration of the year long celebrations by Pratibha Patil at the headquarters of the University. Also present were Kapil Sibal, Minister of Human Resource Development and D Purandareswari, Minister of State, HRD.The inauguration was followed by the 25th Foundation Day Lecture, delivered by Dr. Narendra Jadhav, Member Planning Commission, Government of India.
One of the major activities proposed as part of the Silver Jubilee Year is the organisation of IGNOU Silver Jubilee Lectures, as a monthly event commencing from December 2009. Renowned experts and practitioners from different areas and academic disciplines will be invited to deliver talks, the topics of which broadly fall within the areas of 'inclusion of the excluded' and/or 'education for marginalised'.
Pan Commonwealth Forum 6 : Kochi
The Sixth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF6) took place on 24–28 November 2010 at Le-Meridien, Cochin Resort & Convention Centre (KochiKochi
-Places:* Kochi, a city in the state of Kerala, India, formerly known as Cochin* Kingdom of Cochin, a former feudal city-state on Malabar Coast, India** Fort Kochi, one of the three main urban components which constitute the present day city of Kochi, Kerala, India...
, Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
), India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The theme of PCF6 was: Access and Success in Learning: Global Development Perspectives
PCF6 as an international forum explores the contribution of open and distance learning to international development goals, by opening up access to learning at every level. The Forum brings together practitioners, researchers, planners and policy makers in the fields of open and distance learning and development from over 70 countries. It provides opportunities to share experience and expertise, and to contribute to future policy and provision. Participants will represent the main Commonwealth, Asia and international institutions and agencies active in the field, including funding bodies and technology providers.
The Commonwealth of Learning
Commonwealth of Learning
The Commonwealth of Learning is an intergovernmental organization of the Commonwealth of Nations headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada...
's biennial Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning has grown to become a leading international forum on learning and development. PCF6 brought the forum to India for the first time, jointly organized by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), coinciding with the completion of 25 years of IGNOU.
| Chair | Official |
|---|---|
| Honorary Chair | M.S. Swaminathan |
| Co-Chair | Sir John Daniel, President & CEO of The Commonwealth of Learning, Vancouver, Canada |
| Co-Chair | V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, Vice Chancellor IGNOU, New Delhi, India |
| Programme Chair | P.R. Ramanujam, Director, Academic Programmes Committee, PCF 6 |
| Conference Manager | Himar Arjun Singh, PCF6 Secretariat |
Indo-Africa Virtual University
The Indo-Africa Virtual University is a virtual university that has been announced for Africa by the Indira Gandhi National Open University, with headquarters of the virtual university proposed to be in EthiopiaEthiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
or Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, and an initial cost is estimated at 150 crore ($3.5 million), with an annual cost or 100 crore. It has been reported that it could take between six months and a year to implement, and would fuel demand in Africa for higher studies in Indian institutions.
See also
- List of universities in India
- Universities and colleges in IndiaUniversities and colleges in India-North India:*Chandigarh*Delhi*Haryana*Himachal Pradesh*Jammu and Kashmir*Punjab*Rajasthan*Uttar Pradesh*Uttarakhand-South India:*Andhra Pradesh*Karnataka*Kerala*Pondicherry*Tamil Nadu-East India:*Bihar*Jharkhand*Orissa*West Bengal-West India:...
- Education in IndiaEducation in IndiaEducation in India is provided by the public sector as well as the private sector, with control and funding coming from three levels: federal, state, and local. Child education is compulsory. The Nalanda University was the oldest university-system of education in the world...
- Education in DelhiEducation in DelhiEducation in Delhi is provided by a vast number of public and private institutions. The city's public school system, the Delhi Directorate of Education, is one of the largest in Indian cities, and Delhi is home to some of the most important libraries, universities, and research centers in the South...
- Distance Education CouncilDistance Education CouncilDistance Education Council is an organisation based in New Delhi, India responsible for the promotion and coordination of the open university and distance education system and for determination of its standards in India. The Council was constituted under the Indira Gandhi National Open University...
- University Grants Commission (India)University Grants Commission (India)The University Grants Commission of India is a statutory organisation set up by Union government in 1956, for the coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of university education. It provides recognition for universities in India, and provides funds for government-recognised...
External links
- Indira Gandhi National University - Official website
- Vedyadhara Open (e) Learning Environment - DEC approved ODTEL framework implementation [A Disruptive Innovation in Open and Distributed Learning]
- Official IGNOU Wiki
- IGNOU Help Books/Guide Books-Bukwit.com