To spread education to all se ctions of society, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has opened regular study centres in all districts in the State and courses for minorities were introduced in Seronj, Burhanpur and Bhopal.
Regional Director, IGNOU, Bhopal UC Pandey informed that special centres are to be set up in many places in the state. While talking to media on Tuesday, IGNOU Coordinator KS Tiwari told that, Madhya Pradesh has huge potential in sector like education but most parts of the State are still untouched by education. In such prevailing state of affairs, distance learning has emerged as an effective mode of education. Tiwari stressed on the need for improve the quality of distant education and its reach should be in the nook and corner of the State.
He said the programmes of IGNOU fulfil the needs of several sections ranging from slum dwellers to people living in metropolitan cities. He said that there are 55 crore unskilled workers in our country and the university is working in this direction. Tiwari said as many as 12 programmes were launched by the IGNOU in the agriculture sector to impart education to farmers. This apart, the university has its courses in the key sectors such as rural development, childcare, weather, law, and medical schemes among others. He said that IGNOU also launched programme on human trafficking in MP and for it, officials are in touch with police top bosses in the State.
“IGNOU is the first distance education university which launches programmes for inmates in about 100 jails in the country while in MP there are 12 prisons where IGNOU has reached,” Tiwari informed.
Additional Director General, PIB(Bhopal), PJ Sudharkar said IGNOU has become a world class university and the degrees are equally valid as the ones obtained from other regular universities.