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Academic Programs - Indira Gandhi National Open University



Indira Gandhi National Open University

http://www.ignou.ac.in/

Today, the Open Learning System through the distance mode of education has come to be accepted as a well - relevant to and necessary for meeting the emerging demands of our society. Because of its inherent potential and flexibility, the open learning system has spread over more than 105 countries through 900 institutions, which offer well over 16,000 courses to some 18 million learners all over the world.

In India, the Open Learning System through IGNOU at the national level and 9 State Open Universities at the State levels has taken root in the country. This is in addition to more than 53 institutes/directorates of distance/open education located in the conventional system, which are also a part of the open learning system in India. The inherent flexibility of the system, particularly its potential to reach a large number of learners simultaneously with relevant programmes, enables it to cater to the needs of a varied clientele.

The areas hitherto untouched by the conventional system have now gradually been taken care of by the open learning system. The Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU) conducts programmes in home gardening, fruit production, vegetable production, floriculture and landscape gardening for farmers, farm labourers and rural youth. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University, Hyderabad offers programmes in mushroom cultivation. U.P. Rajarshi Tandon Open University offers a programme in Desk Top Publishing. At the National Open School, vocational education is being offered along side the formal academic courses. The areas addressed under vocational education at the School level by NOS include engineering and technology, agriculture, business and commerce, home science, health and paramedical studies and computers.

IGNOU has been making pioneering efforts in offering programmes in as many as 50 areas covering a very wide range of subjects such as computers, nursing, management, creative writing, rural development, Panchayati Raj, disaster management, participatory forest management, tourism, women's empowerment and so on. Keeping in view the challenge of reaching millions of un-reached people spread throughout the country with an effective multi-media package, which will not only help to overcome illiteracy but also help to generate employment potential, the open learning system happens to be the chosen mode for such programmes of education and training.