Indira Gandhi National Open University: Difference between revisions

Indira Gandhi National Open University
	Logo of IGNOU
Motto	The People's University
Type	Public university
Established	1985; 40 years ago
Founder	Government of India
Accreditation	NAAC
Academic affiliations	UGC; AIU; AICTE; COL; DEC;
Chancellor	President of India
Vice-Chancellor	Uma Kanjilal (acting)
Students	Cumulative enrolment of nearly 4.3 million
Location	Maidan Garhi, Delhi, India
Regional centres	67
Colours	Deep Sky Blue
Website	www.ignou.ac.in

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Latest revision as of 16:52, 7 January 2025

Indira Gandhi National Open University, known as IGNOU, is a public distance learning university located in Delhi, India. Named after the former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi, the university was established in 1985 with a budget of ₹20 million, after the Parliament of India passed the Indira Gandhi National Open University Act, 1985 (IGNOU Act 1985).^[3] IGNOU is run by the central government of India, and with a total active enrollment of over 4 million students, it is the largest university in the world.^[4]^[5]

IGNOU was founded to serve the Indian population by means of distance and open education, providing quality higher education opportunities to all segments of society. It also aims to encourage, coordinate and set standards for distance and open education in India, and to strengthen the human resources of India through education.^[6]^[7] Apart from teaching and research, extension and training form the mainstay of its academic activities. It also acts as a national resource center, and serves to promote and maintain standards of distance education in India.^[7] 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 started a decentralisation process^[8] by setting up five zones: north, south, east, west and north-east. The first of the regional headquarters, catering to four southern states, Pondicherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep, is being set up on the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.^{[citation needed]} The Ministry of Education has entrusted the responsibility of developing a Draft Policy on Open and Distance Learning and Online Courses to IGNOU.^[9] IGNOU also partners up with other organizations to launch courses. IGNOU offers a BBA in Retail distance learning course in association with Retailers Association of India (RAI).^[10]

Recently, the university has implemented the CBCS method to the various bachelor's degree courses including BA, BAVTM, BCOM, BSC, and others. As per the new CBCS system, the examination will be conducted through the semester system that was earlier conducted on an annual mode.

History

Dipanshu Sharma, the Ministry of Education and Social Welfare organized a seminar on 'Open University' in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the UGC, and the Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO. After the seminar recommendation, an open university in India has established on an experimental basis. Starting in 1974, the government of India appointed an eight-member working group on the open university, the leading role was given to G. Parthasarathi, the then Vice-Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

The working group recommended establishing an open university by an act of parliament as early as possible. They recommended that the university should have jurisdiction over the entire country so that, once 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 included: admission procedure, age relaxation, preparation of reading materials, setting up of core group scholars in different fields, setting up of study centers, the vehicle of curricular programs, 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
G. Ram Reddy, 1985–1990 V. C. Kulandaiswamy, 1990–1995 Ram G Takwale, 1995–1998 A. W. Khan, 1998–2001 H. P. Dikshit, 2001–2006 V. N. Rajasekharan Pillai, 2006–2011 M. Aslam, 2011–12 Gopinath Pradhan, 2012–2013 M. Aslam, 2013–2017 Nageshwar Rao-2018–Present

The front gate of the university campus in New Delhi

In 1985, the Union Government made a policy statement for the establishment of a national open university. A Committee was constituted by the Ministry of Education to chalk out the plan of action for the National Open University. On the basis of the report of the Committee, the Union Government introduced a bill in Parliament. In August 1985, both the Houses of Parliament passed the bill. Subsequently, the Indira Gandhi National Open University came into existence on 20 September 1985, named after the late prime minister.

In 1989, the first Convocation was held and more than 1,000 students graduated and were awarded their diplomas. IGNOU audio-video courses were the first broadcast 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.^[11]

In 1999, IGNOU launched the first virtual campus in India,^[12] beginning with the delivery of Computer and Information Sciences courses via the Internet.

As of 2011^[update] IGNOU has served over three million students in India and 40 other countries abroad.^[13] These are 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, Ghana, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Madagascar, Liberia, West Indies, Samoa, Lesotho, Malawi, Switzerland, Nigeria, Mongolia, and Zambia.

Languages

The IGNOU offers education in undergraduate degree in different "Modern Indian Languages" (MILs): Malayalam, Marathi, Odiya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Assamese, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Meitei (Manipuri), and Nepali.^[14]

Schools

IGNOU has 21 schools and a network of 56^[15] regional centres, 1843 study centres, and 21 overseas centres (in 15 countries). Approximately 20% of all students enrolled in higher education in India are enrolled with IGNOU.^[16] IGNOU offers 226 academic programs comprising courses at certificate, diploma, and degree levels.

Accreditation & recognition

(IGNOU) has been 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).^[17] The Association of Indian Universities (AIU) recognises IGNOU conferred degrees as on par with the degrees conferred by its members^[18]^[19] and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) recognises the Master of Computer Applications and Master of Business Administration program of IGNOU.^[20]

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 endeavors to identify, nurture, and strengthen open learning institutions throughout the Commonwealth, particularly in the Third World ..".^[21]

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.^[22]

IGNOU is accredited by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with the highest grade of A++.^[23]

Notable alumni

Osthatheos Issac - Syriac Orthodox bishop
Celina Jaitly - Indian actress
Vaani Kapoor - Indian actress
Deepika Padukone - Indian actress
Chethana Ketagoda - Sri Lankan actress
Barun Mazumder - Indian journalist
Ashok Khemka - Indian bureaucrat
K. Vijay Kumar - IPS officer
K. H. Hussain - Indian designer
Abhay Sopori - Indian musician
Gyaneswar Patil - Indian politician
Karthika Naïr - Indian poet
B. Devendhira Poopathy - Indian poet and writer
V. S. R. Murthy - Indian military officer
Biswatosh Sengupta - Indian academic
Ashraful Hussain - Indian social activist and politician
Arjun Munda - former Chief Minister of Jharkhand
Aman Raj - Indian golfer
Kulwant Singh - former Indian army general
Vineet Verma - Indian film director
Deepak Kapoor - 22nd chief of Indian army
Manoj Pande - Indian railway officer
A. G. Perarivalan - Indian assassin
Yakub Memon - chartered accountant and convicted criminal
Pushpa Preeya - Indian social activist
Sudipta Chakraborty - Indian actress
Aditya Bandopadhyay - LGBT rights activist
Swapna Patker - Indian film producer
Shiv Kumar Rai - Indian journalist

References

^ "Profile of IGNOU - Preamble". Indira Gandhi National Open University. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
^ Gohain, Manash Pratim (14 October 2019). "In 9 yrs, number of SC students at Ignou rose by 248%, STs by 172%". The Times of India. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
^ "Indira Gandhi National Open University, 1985" (PDF). Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2012.
^ Creating Accessible Online Instruction Using Universal Design Principles: A LITA Guide, p. 103, Brady Lund, Rowman & Littlefield.
^ "Constant learning through distance education". Deccan Herald. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
^ IGNOU Website: Objectives Archived 23 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine (URL last accessed on 29 April 2007)
^ ^a ^b "About IGNOU". Retrieved 29 July 2013.
^ CORRESPONDENT, A. SPECIAL (14 July 2011). "Success story". Frontline. Retrieved 8 September 2020. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
^ "IGNOU - Announcements - Latest - New Education Policy: Survey on Open and Distance Learning and Online Courses". ignou.ac.in. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
^ "Retail through distance mode". The Times of India.
^ IGNOU Website: Milestones Archived 23 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine (URL last accessed on 29 April 2007)
^ Newsbytes: IGNOU Launches First Virtual University in India, 6 July 1999 (URL last accessed on 29 April 2007)
^ "Profile of IGNOU – Preamble". Ignou.ac.in. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
^ ANI (16 February 2023). "Kashmiri language introduced by IGNOU at under graduate level". ThePrint. Retrieved 19 March 2023. In addition to these disciplines, the School has an elective basket of Modern Indian Languages on offer to undergraduates: Malayalam, Marathi, Odiya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Assamese, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Manipuri and, Nepali.
^ RC:
^ IGNOU Website: – IGNOU
^ UGC Website: Universities Directory – Indira Gandhi National Open University (URL last accessed on 29 April 2007)
^ UGC: UGC Circular No. F1-52/2000 (CPP-II), 5 May 2004
^ AIU: AIU Circular No. EV/B(449)/94/176915-177115,January 14, 1994
^ AICTE: AICTE/Academic/MOU-DEC/2005, May 13, 2005 Archived 27 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine
^ COL Website: IGNOU named "Centre of Excellence" Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, COMLEARN, October 1993 (URL last accessed on 29 April 2007)
^ DEC Website: Statutory Authority Archived 3 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine
^ NAAC Website: http://www.naac.gov.in/images/docs/AccreditationResults/54SC/54-SC--Cycle-1.pdf

External links

28°29′40″N 77°12′16″E / 28.4945°N 77.2045°E / 28.4945; 77.2045

[Profile_of_IGNOU_-_Preamble-1] "Profile of IGNOU - Preamble". Indira Gandhi National Open University. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2015.

[2] Gohain, Manash Pratim (14 October 2019). "In 9 yrs, number of SC students at Ignou rose by 248%, STs by 172%". The Times of India. Retrieved 17 January 2021.

[Act-3] "Indira Gandhi National Open University, 1985" (PDF). Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2012. Retrieved 17 May 2012.

[4] Creating Accessible Online Instruction Using Universal Design Principles: A LITA Guide, p. 103, Brady Lund, Rowman & Littlefield.

[5] "Constant learning through distance education". Deccan Herald. 6 June 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.

[6] IGNOU Website: Objectives Archived 23 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine (URL last accessed on 29 April 2007)

[:0-7] "About IGNOU". Retrieved 29 July 2013.

[8] CORRESPONDENT, A. SPECIAL (14 July 2011). "Success story". Frontline. Retrieved 8 September 2020. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)

[9] "IGNOU - Announcements - Latest - New Education Policy: Survey on Open and Distance Learning and Online Courses". ignou.ac.in. Retrieved 11 October 2015.

[10] "Retail through distance mode". The Times of India.

[11] IGNOU Website: Milestones Archived 23 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine (URL last accessed on 29 April 2007)

[12] Newsbytes: IGNOU Launches First Virtual University in India, 6 July 1999 (URL last accessed on 29 April 2007)

[ignou-profile-13] "Profile of IGNOU – Preamble". Ignou.ac.in. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2011.

[14] ANI (16 February 2023). "Kashmiri language introduced by IGNOU at under graduate level". ThePrint. Retrieved 19 March 2023. In addition to these disciplines, the School has an elective basket of Modern Indian Languages on offer to undergraduates: Malayalam, Marathi, Odiya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Assamese, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Manipuri and, Nepali.

[15] RC:

[16] IGNOU Website: – IGNOU

[17] UGC Website: Universities Directory – Indira Gandhi National Open University (URL last accessed on 29 April 2007)

[18] UGC: UGC Circular No. F1-52/2000 (CPP-II), 5 May 2004

[19] AIU: AIU Circular No. EV/B(449)/94/176915-177115,January 14, 1994

[20] AICTE: AICTE/Academic/MOU-DEC/2005, May 13, 2005 Archived 27 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine

[21] COL Website: IGNOU named "Centre of Excellence" Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, COMLEARN, October 1993 (URL last accessed on 29 April 2007)

[22] DEC Website: Statutory Authority Archived 3 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine

[23] NAAC Website: http://www.naac.gov.in/images/docs/AccreditationResults/54SC/54-SC--Cycle-1.pdf

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

v t e Central universities of India
Central universities	Aligarh Muslim University Assam University Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University Banaras Hindu University Central Agricultural University Delhi University Dr. Hari Singh Gour University Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agriculture University English and Foreign Languages University Indian Maritime University Indira Gandhi National Open University Indira Gandhi National Tribal University Jamia Millia Islamia Jawaharlal Nehru University Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya Manipur University Maulana Azad National Urdu University Mizoram University Nagaland University North-Eastern Hill University Pondicherry University Rajiv Gandhi University Sikkim University Tezpur University Tripura University University of Allahabad University of Hyderabad Visva-Bharati University
New central universities^†	Central Sanskrit University Central Tribal University of Andhra Pradesh Central University of Andhra Pradesh Central University of South Bihar Central University of Gujarat Central University of Himachal Pradesh Central University of Haryana Central University of Jammu Central University of Jharkhand Central University of Karnataka Central University of Kashmir Central University of Kerala Central University of Odisha Central University of Punjab Central University of Rajasthan Central University of Tamil Nadu Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University Mahatma Gandhi Central University Nalanda University National Sanskrit University Rajiv Gandhi National Aviation University Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri National Sanskrit University Sindhu Central University South Asian University
^† Established or granted central university status in 2009 or afterwards.

v t e Open education in India
Recognition bodies	All India Council for Technical Education Distance Education Council University Grants Commission
Central universities	Indira Gandhi National Open University School of Open Learning
State universities	Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University Jagat Guru Nanak Dev Punjab State Open University Karnataka State Open University Krishna Kanta Handique State Open University Madhya Pradesh Bhoj Open University Nalanda Open University Netaji Subhas Open University Odisha State Open University Pandit Sundarlal Sharma (Open) University Sree Narayanaguru Open University Tamil Nadu Open University Uttar Pradesh Rajarshi Tandon Open University Uttarakhand Open University Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University

Authority control databases
International	ISNI VIAF
National	Germany United States