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IGNOU OPEN LETTER | AUGUST 15, 20102
IGNOU is heading for a paradigm shift in its research policy and research facilitation
processes in the context of the global scenario of full-time research, part-time research
and systemic research under the open university and distance education systems.
IGNOU has contributed significantly to educational technology, systemic research in ODL,
learning management systems, satellite education, and ICT-enabled teaching and learning.
The technologies developed by IGNOU are in use the world over by ODL institutions. The
IGNOU Act mandates research at all levels and the Research Council has been created as
an Authority of IGNOU under Section 16 of the Act. Ordinances for research degrees like
M.Phil and Ph.D. are also in place. The University has a research project scheme. Paid
research study leave, in addition to the sabbatical leave scheme, are available to teachers
and academics. Participation in national and international research conferences is
facilitated by travel grants. Research schemes from funding agencies are systematically
availed by faculty. A new scheme, the first of its kind in the country the Research and
Teaching Assistantship (RTA) was introduced two years ago where full-time research in
a domain area, along with development of teaching modules and teaching assistance
activities, are taken up by young researchers under the supervision of a senior faculty
member. About 800 teachers and academics with Ph.D. and
higher-level research qualifications are working in the University.
An exclusive Research Unit was created in the University
recently to coordinate all these research activities.
Research programmes of Open Universities are recognised
throughout the world. The UK Open University, for example,supports a broad and vibrant research and enterprise portfolio
and fosters research teams able to compete with the best in
the world. Over 1,000 research students are currently working
with the British Open University, in addition to several hundreds
around the globe linked to UKOU through its Affiliated Research
Centre (ARC) Programme. ARCs are organisations with which
UKOU has entered into agreements to register students. They are higher education
institutions or commercial or public sector research organisations with state-of-the-art
infrastructural facilities and a large pool of highly qualified research scientists. Some of
these are: the UK Architectural Association, the School of Architecture, the British
Antarctic Survey, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Defence Science Technologies
Laboratories, the Institute of Pharmacological Research, and the International Centre for
Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology. ARCs are in addition to UKOUs own research
laboratories/centres in the various faculties at its main Walton Hall Campus in Milton
Keynes. The results of UKs latest Research Assessment Exercise placed UKOU in the top
50 higher education institutions, according to the Times Higher Education Table ofExcellence. More than 50 percent of the UKOUs research is rated internationally
excellent and 14 percent is rated as world leading. Other leading Open Universities
also have very strong research programmes.
IGNOU, with its 800-strong research-trained faculty, over 100 full-time RTAs and more
than 400 registered Ph.D. scholars, has great research potential. Collaboration and
networking with various national and international research institutes is the key to
accomplishing research goals. Training an optimum number of post-graduates in subject-
specific domain areas and giving them opportunity for full-time research leading to Ph.D.
degrees and post-doctoral awards need to be a focussed activity of this large talent pool
of academics.
The collaboration of IGNOU with the Harichandra Institute of Mathematics (under the
Department of Atomic Energy), Indian Institute of Astrophysics (Department of S&T),
Madhya Pradesh Council of Science and Technology, Institute of Biotechnology and Bio-
informatics, International Institute of Informational Technology, Madras Institute of
Developmental Studies, and the Indian Institute of Economic Growth, for post-graduate
education and research is in line with the global trends of open universities strengthening
research by effective utilisation of infrastructural facilities and intellectual capabilities.
The Ph.D. programme of IGNOU follows international norms of quality and standards.
Successful completion of course work, publication of at least one original research
publication in a peer-reviewed journal, pre-registration and pre-submission seminars by
candidates and open defence of the thesis are now mandatory for the award of Ph.D.
degrees.
Considering the global trend of research in open universities, it is imperative that our
open universities and distance education institutes develop a clear Code of Good Practice
in respect of the management, quality and academic standards of research programmes.
Peer review, publication in refereed journals, analysis of impact factor of original research
publications all these should be in such a code. This issue of OpenLetter features the
recent research initiatives of IGNOU.
4
CONTENTS
Research in Action
Pan-Commonwealth Forum
INFOCUS: IGNOUs
Research and
Teaching
Assistantship (RTA)
is a unique scheme
to help the country
meet its high-end
research targets
BEST B-SCHOOLS......03
ODLSOFT....................10
NEWS UPDATES..........12
REGIONAL UPDATES...15
MILESTONES ..............16
GYAN DARSHAN..........16
8 SPOTLIGHT: IGNOU will host the SixthPan-Commonwealth Forum on Open
Learning in Kochi in November with an
aim to open up access to learning at
every level via ODL system
IGNOU OPEN LETTER is Printed by Printek Grafix,
148-D, Pocket-F, GTB Enclave, Delhi-110093 and
Published by Ravi Mohan, Chief Public Relations Officer,
Indira Gandhi National Open University,
Maidan Garhi. New Delhi 110068.
Ph: +91-11-29571000 (30 lines); +91-11-29535924-29
Fax: +91-11-29535933;
E-mail: [email protected]
Managing Editor: Ravi Mohan
Photos: Rajesh Sharma/Amlan Paliwal
Advisory Council:
Prof P.R. Ramanujam,
Dr Latha Pillai
Design and Production:
IANS Publishing
www.ianspublishing.com
FROMthe vice chancellor
V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai
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IGNOU OPEN LETTER | AUGUST 15, 2010 3
INTOPranks
Renowned Kannada writer and critic
Dr U.R. Ananthamurthy has been
appointed the Honorary Chair of
Tagore Chair in Indian Literature atIGNOU. The Tagore Chair, located in
the School of Humanities, has been
established to organise symposia,
seminars and undertake research studies
on Indian literature.
The activities of the Chair include the
editing of a bilingual (English and Hindi)
Journal on Literature, Language and
Culture Studies.
I feel deeply honoured and excited. The
Tagore Chair will give me an opportunity to
do a lot of meaningful work in the area of
Indian languages and literature. Through
the new responsibility, I want to work
towards Rabindranath Tagores vision
of empowering Indian languages,
especially regional languages, said Dr
Ananthamurthy, who is known in India for
his social commitment and as an
important representative of the Navya
movement (the new movement) in
Kannada literature.
Born in 1932 in Melige village in
Karnataka, Dr Ananthamurthy star ted
his education in a traditional Sanskrit
school in Doorvasapura and later
studied English and ComparativeLiterature in the cities of Mysore (India)
and Birmingham (England).
He was a professor of English
Literature for several years at Mysore
University, later Vice Chancellor of the
Mahatma Gandhi University in Kottayam,
Chairman of the National Book Trust and
President of the Sahitya Akademi in
Delhi. At present, he is serving as the
second-time chairman of the Film and
Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune.
Dr Ananthamurthy began his literary
career in 1955 with the story volumeEndendhigu Mugiyada Kathe. Since
then, he has published five novels, one
play, six shor t story volumes, four
poetry volumes (including translation of
Tao, Yeats and Rilke and Brecht) and 10
essay volumes in Kannada and several
pieces on English literature.
His works have been translated into
several Indian and European languages and
have been awarded with significant literary
prizes, including the Jnanpeeth Award
(1994). He was honoured by the
Government of India with the PadmaBhushan in 1998. His most significant
works include Samskara, Bhava, Bharathi
Puraand Avasthe.I
Dr Ananthamurthy appointed Tagore Chair
In OpenLetter July issue, we carried a
story on Careers in Management
and how IGNOU's management
programmes are providing managerial
skills not only to the top-end MBA
students via Face-to-Face mode but also
to learners via Open and Distance
Learning (ODL) System.
Now the fact is being acknowledged
by the world. In an annual survey by
Businessworld, a reputed business
weekly, IGNOU has become the only Open
University to be part of the prestigious
Indias Best B-Schools list a listing of
the countrys crme de la crme in the
field of management education. The
worlds largest University came 40th in
the overall ranking in the survey of
Indias best 50 business schools.
The University offers a slew of
Programmes in management and
commerce streams through School
of Management Studies (SOMS) in
the ODL mode. Some of the programmes
are Master of Business Administration
(MBA); Master of Business
Administration (Banking & Finance);
Master of Commerce in Finance &
Taxation (MCom, F&T) and PG Diploma
in International Business Operation.I
IGNOU enters Indias Best B-Schools listing
Renowned writer Dr U.R. Ananthamurthy.
Prof Anurag Saxena, SOMS, with Dr Silima
Nanda, Director (I/c), International Division,
during an interactive session with MBA
learners of Pan-Africa e-Network.
Eminent Malayalam writer
K. Satchidanandan has
taken over as Director,
School of Translation
Studies and Training
(SOTST) at IGNOU.
Satchidanandan was one
of the pioneers of modern
poetry in Malayalam and is
well known for the subtle
and nuanced articulations
of socio-political contexts
in his poetry. He has 22 collections of
poetry, 16 collections of translations of
poetry and 19 collections of essays onliterature, language and society to
his credit.
Satchidanandan
is SOTST Director
K. Satchidanandan
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IGNOU OPEN LETTER | AUGUST 15, 20104
InFocus
Research in Action
Sandhya Chopra, 26, is pursuing
Ph.D. in Public Administration
under the School of Social
Sciences (SOSS). Her core area of
research is Disaster Management. Through
Gyan Darshan and Gyan Vani, she has
participated in several tele-conferences
where she has communicated directly with
learners across the country on how to
prevent or mitigate disasters like floods,
earthquakes and forest fires.
IGNOU has provided students a wide
platform to establish themselves in dual
role of a researcher and a teacher
while pursuing higher education. As aResearch and Teaching Assistant (RTA),
Im not only involved with full-time
research but also spend a considerable
time teaching on the campus it is like
being part of a holistic and comprehensive
higher education stream in an ODL
system, says Chopra, before rushing to
attend a practical demonstration on fire
safety management on the campus.
Road to Academic ExcellenceAssisting faculty, revising the courseware,
proofreading the course work, publishing
research papers, giving presentations,
attending seminars and conferences... the
list is endless, but what you get at the end
of the day is purely rewarding in terms ofacademic excellence. This is what over
400 RTAs enrolled in discipline-based
research at IGNOU aim at.
IGNOUs Researchand Teaching
Assistantship(RTA) is a uniquescheme to help
the country meetits high-endresearch targets
THE TEAM: Dr V. Venugopal Reddy (centre), Director, Research Unit, with his team at the Convention Centre, IGNOU Headquarters.
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On campus, 98
RTAs are enrolled
in full-time Ph.D.
Programmes; out of
them, 91 learners
have earned
fellowships. Thereare 36 M.Phil
students, while 278
are part-time Ph.D.
students.
While
higher education
establishments and
government focus
on Ph.D.
programmes, there
is also great
concern and
apprehension about
the poor quality of
M.Phil and Ph.D. programmes offered in
large numbers by some institutions, which
misuse the autonomy and concept of
distance education, says Vice Chancellor
Professor V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai.
Strict enforcement of quality criteria,
following international benchmarks in
research, is the only way to curb these
undesirable practices. Quality research of
high impact happening in renowned open
university and distance education systems
should be supported and encouraged toset national benchmarks in this area.
Achieving high levels of research
performance in discipline-based research
is the target of IGNOU in this Decade of
Innovation, adds Prof Pillai.
The RTA Scheme is for highly
meritorious full-time postgraduates. The
University follows a rigorous selection
process. Once the initial screening is done
by the faculty of the Discipline, eligible
candidates are invited for Ph.D. proposal
presentations (Category A), entrance test
and personal interview (Category B).
However, qualified UGC/CSIR candidates
are exempted from writing the entrance
test, informs Dr V. Venugopal Reddy,
Director, Research Unit.
Based on the qualifications, experience
and research proposal, the applications are
shortlisted by the Discipline. The selected
candidates are then called for an interview
with the Doctoral Committee of Discipline,
which recommends whether the candidate
should undertake the course work or not.
All selected candidates are placed
before the School Board allotting
Ph.D. topics. The Board approves researchsupervisors specifying categories (A or B)
subsequently before the Research Council.
Many open universities in the world, like
IGNOU OPEN LETTER | AUGUST 15, 2010 5
l Shivdatta Wavalkar. (2010), UpanyaskarVinodkumar Shukla (in Hindi), Kanpur (U.P),
Vidhya Prakashan, ISBN:81-88554-57-X
l Dhanyasree V.K. (2008) Social NetworkSites in Online Learning-Supporting Features:
A Case Study of Orkut, in Library Profession
in Search of a New Paradigm (pp. 785-787)
selected papers published by the Indian
Association of Special Libraries and
Information Centres, India. ISSN: 09723668
l Nidhi Chopra. (2010), Education StressSyndrome, Science Reporter, Vol. 47,
No. 3. ISSN 0036-8512.
l Syed Hayath Basha. (2010), SystematicDevelopment in Open and Distance Learning
through Programme Evaluation, University
News, Vol. 48, No. 26. ISSN:0566-2257.
l Kiran. (2009), Teachers in 21st Century:Redefining Objectives and Process of
Teacher Education in selected papers
published by All India Association
Educational Research (AIAER) and Khalsa
College of Education, Amritsar, pp.19-24.
l Beauty Gogoi. (2010), InterventionProgramme to Combat Malnutrition in
Malnutrition: issues and concern, selectedpapers published by Narotom Sekhsaria
Foundation, Mumbai, India.
l Sony Kuriakose, M.S. Senam Raju and N.V.Narasimham. (2009), VoluntaryAmalgamations in Indian Banking: Valuation
Practices and Adequacy of Swap Ratios
Indian Journal of Commerce. Vol.62, No.3,
pp. 32-44. ISSN: 0019-512X.
l Libison K.B. and N.V. Narasimham. (2010)Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) from Tourism
Industry in India: An Analysis of Short- run
Secondary Market Performance, in Raya
Madgerova (Ed.), Economics, Management
and Tourism (pp. 31-42) selected papers
published by South West University ofNeofit Rilski, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria.
ISBN: 978-954-300-104-0.
Publications by RTAs
l Sri Aurobindo Centre for AdvancedResearch Trust (SACAR), 39,
Vanniar Street Vaithikuppam,
Pondicherry 605012l Institute for Research in Social
Sciences and Humanities (IRISH),
Nirmalagiri, PO, Kannur Dist.,
Kerala 670 701
l Rajagiri College of Social Science,PO, Kalamassery, Kochi,
Kerala 683 104
l CSI Centre of Educational Researchand Development, Pasumalai,
Madurai 625 004
l National Institute of AdvancedStudies (NIAS), Indian Institute of
Science Campus,
Bangalore 560012
l Model Institute of Education &Research (MIER), B.C. Road,
Jammu 180001
l Gujarat Institute of DevelopmentResearch (GIDR), Ahmedabad
l Mount Carmel College (MC),Bangalore
l J.J. College, Tiruchirappalli
l DAV College, Dehradun
l Jyoti Niwas College, Bangalore
List of RRCs
Im not only
involved with
full-time research
but also spend a
considerable time
teaching on the
campus it is
like being part of
a holistic higher
education
system. Sandhya Chopra,
RTA, SOSS
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IGNOU OPEN LETTER | AUGUST 15, 20106
the UK Open University, the Open
University of Netherlands and Hong Kong
Open University support extensive doctoral
and post-doctoral research.
IGNOU is proud of the fact that its
systemic research feeds directly into the
content of its world-leading teaching
programmes, says the Vice Chancellor.
Research is a process of systematic
collection, investigation and analysis of
information to increase a research scholars
understanding of the study which he or she
has undertaken with specific objectives. In
this context, it is the responsibility of the
researcher to commit himself/herself to thestudy undertaken. Researchers need to put
sincere efforts and hard work with the
support of their guides to come out with
innovative ideas which could be of great use
for the community-at-large, says Dr Reddy.
The University is committed to utilise
its large pool of academics with extensive
research experience to train young
researchers, in both systemic as well as
discipline-based research of the highest
quality, adds Prof Pillai.
Recognised Research CentresIn this direction, IGNOU has already
identified the institutes offering higher
learning programmes for conduct of
Research Degree
Programmes of their
choice, subject toavailability of
infrastructure (building,
labs and libraries, etc.),
qualified research
supervisors and ability
to conduct research in their institutes.
Any institution which intends to
conduct research can submit an
application form prescribed by the
University. An Expert Committee
consisting of subject experts is deputed to
the institute to assess the availability of
infrastructure, academic resources and
related matters. Recommendations of the
Expert Committee are placed before the
Research Council. On approval of the
Research Council, the institute is notified
I have understoodthe mechanism of ODL
and how this system
helps students like me
achieve their goals. I
find the Ph.D. course
work here at par
with any reputed
conventional university. Libison K.B., RTA, SOMS
NECRD, A
Vice Chancellor Prof V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai with Research Unit Director Dr V. Venugopal Reddy in the exhibition area of the Convocation Ceremony
The North East Centre for Research
and Development (NECRD) in
Guwahati was conceived and
operationalised to be a think-tankdedicated to the North-East. It instituted
the Research and Teaching Assistant
(RTA) scheme for research scholars from
or outside the region working on North-
East related themes to pursue Ph.D.
programme under the auspices of the
University.
The objective of the scheme is to
attract the best talents into teaching
cum-research in the areas of Open and
I go to Delhi University for lab work.Owing to IGNOU, I have got this
opportunity which I could not have had
got anywhere. G. Lakshmi, RTA, SOS
Dr Anil Ch. Borah, Deputy Director, NECRD.
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IGNOU OPEN LETTER | AUGUST 15, 2010 7
as a Recognised Research Centre
(RRC), informs Dr Reddy.
Opportunities GaloreLibison K.B., 27, pursuing his Ph.D. in
Commerce under the School of
Management Studies (SOMS), is happy to
be here. His research area is Initial Public
Offerings and Investors Behaviour.
I have now understood the mechanism
of ODL and how this system helps students
like me achieve their goals. At SOMS, I
have full support from the faculty towards
my research.I have presented four research papers
and several papers have already been
published in various reputed journals, all
thanks to the support from my research
supervisor... I find the Ph.D. course work
here at par with any reputed conventional
university, Libison adds.
G. Lakshmi, 29, shares a similar story.
A Ph.D. student of Life Sciences at the
School of Sciences (SOS), her research
area is Metagenomics.
IGNOUs collaboration with other
universities in the area of research has
been a boon to us. I have learned new
techniques. The course work is prepared
in a very simplified manner, says
Lakshmi, who has attended several
training programmes pertaining to her
study area.
From Arabic language to Economics,from Biotechnology to Public
Administration, IGNOU researchers are not
only writing new chapters in the ODL world
but also charting a new route in higher
education like never before.I
l Kanika Singh (RTA in History)Her topic of study is
representation of heritage in
museums. She is an active
participant in heritage activities
organised in New Delhi. She is a
team member of a group called
Delhi Heritage Walks which
leads heritage walks to lesserknown areas in the city.
She was panel member at a
discussion on Experiencing
Delhi at Ramjas College, Delhi
University in February 2010,
where she spoke on history of
conservation practices in Delhi.
l Dhanyasree ( RTA in Libraryand Information Sciences).She has done content checking
and editing for IGNOUs online
MLIS programme: Library and
Information Virtual Education(LIVE). She has also undertaken
content checking and editing of
different modules of the web
enhanced training programme
titled Digitisation and Digital
Library, funded by TIFP, DSIR
and Ministry of Science and
Technology. This is a Pilot
project to deliver online and
CD-based training programme on
digitisation and digital libraries,
involving multimedia-based
self-learning material with
synchronous and asynchronousonline interactive environment.
From heritagewalks to books
Distance Learning/Teaching and Research
in disciplinebased as well as general
Open and Distance Learning pedagogy,
says Dr Sujata Dutta Hazarika, Deputy
Director, NECRD.
NECRD-IGNOU organised its first RTA
Meet in May this year to update the Centre
about the status of Ph.Ds currently running
under the RTA scheme. The meet also
aimed at capacity building of the
researchers through a lecture series from
experts.
We discussed and informed the RTAs
about the current status of research in the
North-East region. One should conduct
his/her research in such a manner so that
the cost-benefit issue will be maximised.
Dissemination of research is needed hence
publication is mandatory, adds
Dr Hazarika.
If ethics and accountability are
followed in the research output, then only
a quality research work based on scientific
temperament can be produced, says Dr
Anil Ch. Borah, Deputy Director, NECRD.
Take the case of Beauty Gogoi. She
completed her PhD from School of
Interdisciplinary and Transdisciplinary
Studies (SOITS). Her area of research was
Role of Man Tai Women in Transition: A
study of A Aitorian village in Karbi Anglong
district, Assam.
I taught students of M.A. Programme
in Labour Development at SOITS. Under
the duel Ph.D. scheme, I was selected for
the Ph.D. Programme in Queensland
University, Australia and I must thank
IGNOU for this, says Gogoi.
NECRD also sponsors major and minor
research project to academician, research
scholars and organisations of the North-
Eastern Region.
TORCHBEARER IN RTA DRIVE
March 15, 2010. (Photo right), Research Unit staff at the stall.
Dr Sujata
Dutta
Hazarika,
Deputy
Director,
NECRD.
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8
PCF6Kochi
IGNOU OPEN LETTER | AUGUST 15, 2010
Access to learning at every level
F
or the first time, a leading
international conference on open
learning and development the
biennial Pan-Commonwealth Forum
(PCF) on Open Learning, an initiative bythe Commonwealth of Learning (COL)
will be held in India this November.
With the aim of exploring the
contribution of Open and Distance
Learning to international development
goals by opening up access to learning at
every level, PCF6, jointly organised by
COL and IGNOU, will be held at the Le
Meridien Hotel in Kochi, Kerala, from
November 24 to 28, 2010.
Renowned agricultural scientist Prof
M.S. Swaminathan, father of the Green
Revolution in India, is the Honorary Chair.
Sir John Daniel, COL President, and Prof
V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, Vice Chancellor,
IGNOU, are the Co-Chairs.
Coinciding with the completion of
IGNOUs Silver Jubilee Year, PCF6 aims to
consider what ODL has done and still can
do in terms of success, informed Prof P.R.
Ramanujam, Pro Vice Chancellor and
Programme Chair, PCF6. The overall theme
of PCF6, titled Access and Success in
Learning: Global Development
Perspectives, will focus on four key areas
Social Justice, Community Development,
Skills Development and Formal Education.The Forum brings together
practitioners, researchers, planners and
policymakers in the fields of Open and
Distance Learning and development from
over 70 countries, said Prof Ramanujam.
Over 800 delegates are expected to take
part in PCF6.
It provides opportunities to shareexperience and expertise and to
contribute to future policy and provision.
Participants will represent the
Commonwealth, international
institutions, including UNESCO, and
agencies active in the field, such as
funding bodies and technology providers,
he added.
The objective of PCF6 is to provide an
accessible forum for all member nations
of the Commonwealth who are committed
to increasing access to and flexibility in
initial and lifelong quality learning
through ODL, said VC Prof Pillai.
Among the keynote speakers are: Sir
John; Prof Badri N. Koul, former Pro-VC,
IGNOU; Steve Maharey, VC, Massey
University, New Zealand; and Professor
Emeritus Tan Sri Anuwar Ali, Vice
Chancellor and President of the Open
University, Malaysia. Former Union
Minister Dr Shashi Tharoor will deliver the
prestigious Asa Briggs Lecture.
For registration, kindly contact: Prof
P.R. Ramanujam, Programme Chair, PCF6,
The Sixth Pan- Commonwealth Forum
(PCF6), IGNOU Maidan Garhi, New Delhi-110068. Phone number: (011) 29572606.
E-mail: [email protected].
Website: http://www.pcf6.net.I
From left, Prof P.R. Ramanujam, Pro-VC and Programme Chair, PCF6; VC Prof Pillai; COL President Sir John Daniel; economist M.S.
Swaminathan; Prof A. Kalyani, VC, Tamil Nadu Open University and Pro-VC Dr Latha Pillai at the launch of PCF6 at IGNOU Headquarters.
KEYNOTESPEAKERS
honBlE stEVEmaharEy
Vce Chcer mey
uvery, new Zed,
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ecre he hee ed
fr Edc PCf6.
Prof BaDri n. Koulfrer iGnou Pr-VC,
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Prof EmEritus tansri anuwar aliVce Chcer d
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Keeping in view the need to makethe agricultural sector more
efficient in terms of planning and
delivery as well as churn out
professional workers and stakeholders in
the same, IGNOUs School of Agriculture
(SOA) is organising a three-day
International Conference titled Agriculture
Education and Knowledge Management.
Organised in collaboration with the
International Food Policy Research
Institute (IFPRI), Washington, the
conference is scheduled to be held at
IGNOU Centre for ODL in Research and
Training in Agriculture (ICRTA) in
Agartala from August 24-26, 2010.
The conference will primarily focus on
sharing experiences on the challenges
faced by agriculture educational system in
managing indigenous knowledge as well
as knowledge generated by research and
educational institutes for innovative
agriculture.
The main objectives of the conference
are to discuss various approaches and
models of agricultural education for
strengthening capacity of professionals,
researchers and educators; to discuss therole of effective knowledge management
systems for socio-economic development
of agricultural sector; to identify suitable
pedagogic approaches and curriculum to
educate farmers, upgrade their technical
and entrepreneurial knowledge and
analytical skills; and to develop
knowledge management strategies
through cost-effective and efficient
approaches, public-private-NGO
partnerships, business models and
delivery mechanisms.
There is an urgent need to expose
farmers to the latest knowledge and
advances in agriculture. It is important
that new knowledge is first created, then
managed in combination with indigenous
knowledge and finally shared by
stakeholders on the food and agriculture
value chain. We are confident that the
conference will go a long way in evolving
integrated strategies to achieve food
security and sustainable agriculture
development, particularly in the North-
East, said Prof B.S. Hansra of SOA.
The conference will commence with an
inauguration function and addresses by
Manik Sarkar, Chief Minister of Tripura and
Chief Guest at the function, Vice
Chancellor Prof V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai,
and Dr Kwadwo Asenso-Okyere, Director,
Knowledge, Capacity, and Innovation
Division (KCID), IFPRI.I
IGNOU OPEN LETTER | AUGUST 15, 2010 9
SOAconfEREncE 2010
The international conference on Agriculture Education and Knowledge Management aims to
make agricultural activities more efficient in terms of planning and delivery.
Thrust on agriculture, rural education
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Action plan to scale up teachers training
In order to ensure the active participation
of all Universities in training, re- training
and continuous capacity-building of
teachers, the Higher Education Department
of the Ministry of Human Resource
Development has constituted a Core
Committee of Vice Chancellors to evolveeffective and unconventional strategies for
scaling up teacher training, Vice Chancellor
Prof V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai said recently.
In the context of the Right to
Education Act, a time-bound action plan is
being formulated jointly by the National
Council of Teacher Education (NCTE),
IGNOU and State Education Departments
to achieve these targets, he added.
IGNOU has set up five Institutes ofCompetency Advancement of Teachers
(ICAT) in five geographic regions of the
country where the technology-enhanced
distance learning and Open University
practices are being adopted.
Delivery of programmes via ODL mode
can alleviate shortages by making teacher
trainees available earlier for service in the
classrooms. Facilitation of teaching-
integrated learning for working teachers, byway of self-help faculty improvement
modules, can also be achieved by ODL
strategies, Prof Pillai added.I
MAJOR THEMES
8/7/2019 Open Letter August Issue 2010
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IGNOU has taken a step towards
modernising its management practice
and IT infrastructure by
adopting an Enterprise
Resource Planning (ERP)
software ODLSoft.
The idea behind the new
automated ERP is to boost
efficiency in IGNOU by
enhancing the institutionalperformance. Financial
resources are limited; the only
way to improve is by the use
of technology.
IGNOU took the initiative
to integrate all its business
processes in back-office
automation by way of
implementing ERP. The
University has decentralised
account disbursing system for
all Schools of Studies and
service Divisions at its
headquarters.
It was desired that there
should be an innovatively
designed system to make all the
accounting activities and human resources
data operable through a single, central and
integrated database to capture all day-to-day
transactions and reconcile the same
periodically and regularly, says Wg. Cdr.
(Retd.) Arun Verma, Joint Director (ERP).
The ERP, PeopleSoft version 9.0,
meets the twin objectives of achieving a
foolproof, paperless and transparent
administration at the operational, tacticaland strategic levels. It enables automation
of IGNOUs back-office processes like
Human Resources, Payroll, Purchasing,
Accounting & Finance to cater to the
requirements of its headquarters, thus
making IGNOU one of the few
non-IT organisations to achieve
this feat.
Being the largest
University in the world, IGNOU
is confronted with managing a
wide range of activities. Thus,
it goes without saying thatIGNOU deserves the best in
terms of modern management
practice and state-of-the-art
technology for managing its
internal and external
operations, said Dr V.S.P.
Srivastav, Head, Computer
Division, IGNOU.
Complete employee life-
cycle from recruitment to
retirement or separation is
available to all IGNOU
employees in New Delhi.
Various benefits like leaves,
LTA, medical claims, loans and
advances can be availed
online. The software has also
enabled online budget preparation and
automatic generation of financial
statements (balance sheet, income &
expenditure and schedules).
The ERP implementation had two
phases. While Phase I included
automation of back office processes like
HR, Administration, Purchase and
Accounting, Phase II undertook processes
like student registration, evaluation,student administration and specialised
processes of operating divisions like EMPC,
RSD and SRE.n
10
ODLSoft
IGNOU OPEN LETTER | AUGUST 15, 2010
Log into ODLSoft for ERP solutions
Wg. Cdr. (Retd.) Arun Verma, JointDirector, (ERP), and his team are in touchwith the implementation partner TCS inachieving the following functionalities:l Generation of Final Statement of Accounts
based on all accounting entries of the university
l Recording and tracking of Budget and Revised
Estimates against actual expenditure
l Recording and accounting of all valuables
l Investment details and online calculation of
interest and interest accruedl Recording of all contingent bills pertaining to
different vendors and managing their payment
l Managing and maintaining complete details of
all fixed assets of the university
l Issuing, Tracking and Payment of all Employee
related claims pertaining to travel
l Handling complete procurement cycle, from
requisition till receiving of materials
l Issuing and managing all service requests
pertaining to maintenance, additional work, etc.
l Maintenance of the cost of projects and its
timelines with resources and assets
l
Maintaining Personal & Job information ofemployee and subsequent job actions (like
transfer, deputation, retirement, etc.)
l Online request submission for Housing,
Transport, Conference Room Booking
l Online request submission for Leave &
Approval process
l Payroll generation with details of earning
& deductions
l Online request submission for LTC, Claims
& approval process
l Board of Management, Parliament questions
& Dispatch//Receiving of files/papers/AKS
l Online request for Medical reimbursement
l Complete online recruitment process &screening
l Schedule and track training courses, handle
enrollments for available course session and
maintain list of trainings conducted
l Issue of Course material from the central store
(Material Production and Distribution Division
MPDD) to students, faculty, staff, etc. and
receipt of printed study material from various
printers
l Cross checking Degree/Diploma/
Certificates/Grade Card/Marks Sheet as and
when required from the digitised and integrated
storage using Documentum softwarel Maintaining consistent live data with proper
security provisioning
ODLSoft Facilities
Computer Division staff examining a unit in the server room.
IGNOU
deserves
modern
management
practice and
state-of-the-art
technology for
managing its
internal and
external
operations. Dr V.S.P. Srivastav,
Head, Computer Division
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IGNOU OPEN LETTER | AUGUST 15, 201011
Conserving wetlands should assumethe role of a Peoples Movement,
so that people can lead more fuller
lives, said Minister of State for
Environment & Forests Jairam Ramesh,
while launching IGNOUs Appreciation
Programme on Sustainable Management
of Wetlands in New Delhi on July 22.
The programme has been developed
by IGNOUs Chair for Sustainable
Development (CSD), headed by eminent
agricultural scientist Prof M.S.
Swaminathan.
Most wetlands in the country are being
devoured due to more highways, sewage
and dumping grounds. The Ministry of
Environment and Forests has uploaded the
Draft guidelines for protection of wetlands
on its website. These regulations will be
notified in the next two-three months. The
Ministry is also in the process of mapping
all wetlands in the country and there are
plans to open a University on Environment
and Sustainability in the near future,
Ramesh said.
The programme, to be delivered in online
mode, provides awareness about the
importance of wetlands, why they aredisappearing, restoration efforts and
sustainable management. The programme is
open to graduates from any discipline. It can
be completed in a minimum period of one
month and a maximum of six months.
What is needed to conserve the
environment is education, social
motivation and regulation. Regulation
alone will not do the job. In this context,
the Chair is working on the launch of a
new programme on the Biodiversity of the
Ganges. We shall soon be launching a PGProgramme in Sustainability Science,
Prof Swaminathan added.
According to Vice Chancellor Professor
V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, CSD has
emerged as a model for all the Universities
in the country. There is an urgent need to
link education with development and we
were the first Indian University to start
sustainability science as a discipline.
The ceremony was held at the
Electronic Media Production Centres
Studio-II and was telecast live to allthe Regional Centres.n
From left, Prof M.S. Swaminathan, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh and Vice ChancellorProf V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai at the launch of Appreciation Programme on Sustainable
Management of Wetlands in New Delhi on July 22.
Peoples Movement to conserve wetlands
Community Colleges need a greater push: Kiran Bedi
The Community College movement
needs to grow in order to ensure that
India is not overwhelmed by
unemployable youth in the next three
years, said Dr Kiran Bedi, former IPS
officer and Founder General Secretary,
Navjyoti India Foundation.
She was delivering a lecture titled
Community Colleges the Answer for
Present and Future: The Experience of
Navjyoti India Foundation, organised by
IGNOU on July 27.
While drawing attention to the fact that
the movement of Community Colleges has
crossed the 400 mark, Dr Bedi called for
an active and priority-based involvement of
the Government, the Industry and the
Panchayati Raj institutions.
Vice Chancellor Prof V.N. Rajasekharan
Pillai, Pro-VC Dr Latha Pillai, Dr C.K.Ghosh, Nodal Officer, Community College
Unit (CCU) and functionaries and students
of Navjyoti were present at the lecture that
was telecast live via
Edusat.
Speaking
about the community
development work
being done by Navjyoti
India Foundation and
its march towards
becoming an IGNOU
Community College,
Dr Bedi remarked, We
started as a Galli
school and have grown
into a Community
college. IGNOU has given us four
Community Colleges and that too in a very
short time-frame.
Calling Community Colleges a Peoples
Movement, Prof Pillai said that We have
set up 442 Community Colleges within oneyear of launching the scheme. Thousands
of applications for establishment of more
Community Colleges are still pending. It is
a Peoples Movement, where we let the
community decide what it wants in terms
of programmes of study and timing of
classes.
Dr Bedi added that Community
colleges must take up adult literacy asa mandate. We must make this a
priority area in all IGNOU Community
Colleges.n
From left, Dr Kiran Bedi, CCU Nodal Officer Dr C.K. Ghosh and
Pro-VC Dr Latha Pillai at the lecture.
NEWSupdateS
8/7/2019 Open Letter August Issue 2010
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12
NEWSupdates
IGNOU OPEN LETTER | AUGUST 15, 2010
Rajkumar Namdeo, a learner ofIGNOUs Certificate Programme in
Food and Beverages Service
Operation, is a happy man.
A Class XII pass-out from Shahdol
district in Madhya Pradesh, he got enrolled
in the six-month Programme this January.
Today, he has bagged an entry-level job at
the prestigious Sayaji Hotel, a three-star
facility in Indore.
I resumed my confidence level after
going through the extensive theory and
practical sessions during the Programme.
IGNOU has designed a state-of-the-art,
market-oriented courseware that has helped
me get my first job at the citys best hotel,
says Namdeo.
In all, 17 students of Certificate
Programme in the tourism and hospitality
sector being run by IGNOUs BhopalRegional Centre have got entry-level jobs
and training opportunities at Sayaji Hotel.
According to Sujit Desai, Sayaji Head
(Learning and Management), As part of
their placement drive, these IGNOU learners
will undergo a six-month training period
before they get appointed at different posts
in the food and beverages department.
We conducted a week-long training
workshop for these
learners from August 2-
August 9. We are open
to recruiting youngsters
who have completed
Certificate Programmes
as long as they are able
to pass the psychometric test that Sayaji
conducts, adds Desai.IGNOU Certificate Programmes are run
in collaboration with the Madhya Pradesh
Tourism Development Corporation
(MPTDC). The University is in talks with the
tourism boards of three states Assam,
Jammu and Kashmir and Sikkim to begin
similar Programmes there.
The Programme comprises theory
classes followed by practical training at
MPSTDC-run hotels and resorts.
According to Dr Harkirat Bains, Director,
School of Tourism and Hospitality Services
Management, most of the learners have
either got jobs or have set up their own
businesses. To begin with, we assist
students in attaining a basic knowledge of
English the foremost requirement in this
sector. Then the core training begins, DrBains adds.
B.M. Namdeo, chief general manager,
MP State Tourism Development Corporation
(MPSTDC) Ltd., says that in the next few
years, the Indian tourism industry will
require at least 20 lakh trained
professionals. In IGNOU courses, even
higher-secondary pass students can get
enrolled and benefit.I
Atotal of 92 teams, of two members
each, participated in the multi-city
inter-school general quiz contest,
IGNITE 2010, hosted by IGNOU
in Bengaluru on August 10.
Sri Kumarans Children Home (SKCH)
team, comprising Milind Hegde and Vikas
Kashyap, bagged the winners trophy and
individual trophies. Aditya Hebber and Shishir
Bhardwaj, also from SKCH, were the runners
up and received individual trophies and book
vouchers. The competition was held atYavanika, to create greater awareness about
IGNOU and its courses, which have a
potential to benefit millions of young Indians.
Vice Chancellor Prof V.N. Rajasekharan
Pillai presented the prizes to the winners.
Dr Latha Pillai, Pro-Vice Chancellor and
Dr B.S. Sudhindra, Regional Director,
Bengaluru, were also present at the
occasion. The third spot was shared by
two teams Anurup A.K. and
Nanjundeshwara N. of Deeksha Centre for
Learning, and Arun S. and Ameya M.
Talanki of Christ Junior College.
Prithvi Hegde and P.V.S.S. Raju of
National Hillview Public School camefourth, while Vivek Aithal K.R. and K.
Krishna Chaitanya of Deeksha Centre for
Learning bagged the fifth spot.n
Sujit Desai, Head (Learning and Management), Sayaji Hotel, at a hospitality training session
with 17 IGNOU learners in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
92 teams at IGNOU inter-school quiz in Bengaluru
Lucrative offers for hospitality learners
IGNOU has designed a market-oriented
courseware that has helped me get my
first job at the citys best hotel.Rajkumar Namdeo,
Student
VC Prof V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai and Pro-VC
Dr Latha Pillai meet the participants of
IGNITE 2010 in Bengaluru.
8/7/2019 Open Letter August Issue 2010
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Siddharth Varadarajan, Delhi Bureau
Chief ofThe Hinduand a dynamicmember of the School Board of
IGNOUs School of Journalism and New
Media Studies (SOJNMS), has received
the prestigious Ramnath Goenka
Journalist of the Year Award.
Varadarajans articles on the
Indo-U.S. nuclear deal became
standardised source material for those
who wanted an assessment of the
claims and counter-claims being made
by the supporters and its critics. The
entire IGNOU family congratulates him
on his golden accomplishment.
IGNOU OPEN LETTER | AUGUST 15, 201013
NEWSupdates
Role of Arts in society is not just
the icing on the cake, but on yeast,
said dancer-politician Dr Mallika
Sarabhai while delivering the Silver Jubilee
lecture, titled Bringing Them into the
Fold: Using the Arts to Bridge the Gap at
the Indira Gandhi National Open University
headquarters in New Delhi on July 29.
Sixty-two years after independence,
injustice and gaps still exist in
our society, in fact, these gaps
have broadened. We now need
different solutions. Art forms acrucial part of these solutions.
Whats required is that art
forms be integrated into the
society, she said.
Delivering his presidential
address, Vice Chancellor, Prof
V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai said,
IGNOU is in its Silver Jubilee
year, with over 30 lakh
students on roll. The theme of
democratisation of education that IGNOU
follows is synchronous with the theme of
this lecture series Inclusion of the
Excluded. The lecture will be an eye
opener for all practitioners of Art.
Through her lecture, Dr Sarabhai
argued that art is the most powerful way
to bring about change, whether political,
social or personal. Speaking about her
encounters of using art for things which
are not art, she focused on her
endeavors to reach people who can do
something to make the excluded the
included.
The talk also explored the ways in
which arts can become a potent language
for empowerment to break down walls
of prejudice and become an agent of
social change. Dr Sarabhai gave several
examples of how she has achieved this
aim at her dance academy
Darpana, through plays for
the underprivileged, TV
programmes talking aboutempowerment of women and
communications targeting
school children. Established by
her parents Mrinalini and
Vikram Sarabhai in 1949,
Darpana uses dance and the
arts for social change.
Talking about the other,
Dr Sarabhai remarked that it
is the rich and the privileged who are the
other in the society today and there
is an urgent need to get them back into
the mainstream.
There is a need to bring the rich and
powerful back into the fold, as they have
given up on the country and retreated
into their ivory towers. In fact, there is
no segment of the society that does not
need sensitisation. IGNOU and Darpana
have the blueprint for transforming the
society, Dr Sarabhai added.I
Let art bridge the gap: Sarabhai
Dr Mallika Sarabhai delivering the Silver Jubilee lecture at IGNOU Headquarters in New Delhi.
factoids IGNOU will soon launch B.A. programmes in Lab Technology,
Medical Radiology and Medical Records Science andHealth Technology in Cooperative Medical College, Kochi.
NEWSscan
Ramnath Goenka award
IGNOU has signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) with theAll India Institute of Local Self
Government (AIILSG), Mumbai, for
launching a flagship Post-Graduate
Diploma Programme in Urban
Governance (PGDUG).
PGDUG, being conducted by the
faculty of Public Administration
discipline, School of Social Sciences,is open to graduates from different
disciplines.
For more details, please visit
www.ignou.ac.in
Urban Governance
Indira Gandhi National OpenUniversity (IGNOU) has announcedmajor relaxation in B.Ed admission.
Prof Pushplata Tripathi, Registrar,
Student Evaluation Division, said
that the requisite eligibility
percentage for B.Ed Programme
2011 has been revised to 50
percent marks instead of 55 percent
in Bachelors or Higher Degree from
a recognised University. For details,
kindly visit www.ignou.ac.in
B.Ed admission relaxed
There is a needto bring the rich
and powerfulback into thefold, as they
have given upon the countryandretreated
into theirivory towers.
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IGNOU OPEN LETTER | AUGUST 15, 201014
I-DAYcelebrations
Remembering Mahatma Gandhijis
famous slogan Do or Die, IGNOU
paid homage to the martyrs of the
freedom struggle by
commemorating the 68th anniversary of the
Quit India Movement. A flag-hoisting
ceremony was organised by the Indira
Gandhi Centre for Freedom Struggle Studies
(IGCFSS) at the Convention Centre on
August 9.
Dr Yoganand Shastri, Delhi Vidhan Sabha
Speaker, Justice Vijender Jain, former Chief
Justice, Punjab & Haryana High Court and
Shashi Bhushan, Chairman, IGCFSS unfurled
the national flag.
On August 8, IGCFSS and Freedom
Movement Memorial Committee organised a
public meeting in the campus to observe
Secular Day. The function was inauguratedby former Foreign Secretary Romesh
Bhandari. Jagannath Pahadia, Haryana
Governor, was the Chief Guest and G.V.G.
Krishnamurthy, former Election
Commissioner, was the Guest of Honour.
Eminent speakers at the function
included Farooq Abdullah, Union Minister forNew and Renewable Energy; Ram Naresh
Yadav, former Chief Minister of Uttar
Pradesh; Satya Prakash Malaviya, former
Union Minister; Bali Ram Bhagat, former Lok
Sabha Speaker; Prof B.B. Bhattacharya,
Vice Chancellor, Jawaharlal Nehru
University; Major Ved Prakash, Secretary, AllIndia Congress Committee (AICC); Rajendra
Singh, former minister from Madhya
Pradesh; and Prof K.R. Srivathsan, Pro-VC.n
Dr Yoganand Shastri (second from left), Delhi Vidhan Sabha Speaker, and Shashi Bhushan
(right), Chairman, IGCFSS, unfurling the tricolour at IGNOU on August 9. (Right) Union Minister
for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah speaking at the Secular Day function.
Remembering Quit India Movement
Awave of freedom swept across the IGNOU
Headquarters in New Delhi as VC Prof V.N.
Rajasekharan Pillai unfurled the National
Flag to mark Indias 64th Independence Day on
August 15. The celebrations were marked by
cultural performances, dance programmes by
students from IGNOU creche and a play
by learners.n
IGNOU celebrates Indias 64th I-Day
(Clockwise from top) Students performing a play at the IGNOU grounds; VC Prof V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai addressing people after unfurling the
tricolour; children from an IGNOU-run creche in a dance performance; and a cultural programme in progress.
8/7/2019 Open Letter August Issue 2010
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IGNOU OPEN LETTER | AUGUST 15, 2010 15
REGIONALroundup
factoidsIGNOU has started agricultural programmes at the Institute of Agricultural
Sciences, BHU. Some of the programmes are Diploma in Value-AddedProducts from Fruits and Vegetables and Diploma in Dairy Technology.
IGNOUs Institute for VocationalEducation and Training (IIVET),
Shillong, has signed a Memorandum of
Collaboration (MoC) with the State
Institute of Capacity Building (SICB),
Department of Personnel Administrative
Reforms and Training, Government of
Sikkim, to offer vocational and skill
development programmes to unemployed
youth in the region.
As per the MoC signed on July 16,2010 at the IGNOU Headquarters in
New Delhi, the following three
programmes will be launched initially
Certificate Programme in Housekeeping,
Certificate Programme in Front Office
Management and Certificate
Programme in Food and Beverages.
IGNOU and SICB will also introduce
programmes in the following areas:
medicinal plants; computer hardware;computer software; cultural and
traditional craft; paper bags and book
binding; electrical wiring, masonry,
painting and carpentry; foreign languages
(Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan, English);
landscaping; tourist guide; eco village;
cooking and catering; beautician; cultural
tourism; cultural craft; and wood
carving/bamboo craft.n
Sikkim govt to offer skill development courses
IGNOU has initiated ICT training of
teachers in Tamil Nadu in collaboration
with the ICTACT, the ICT capacity-building
academy under the Ministry of Information
Technology, Tamil Nadu.
Dr Poongothai Aladi, Minister of State for
Information Technology, Vice Chancellor Prof
V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai; Lakshmi
Narayanan, Chairman, ICTACT and Dr
M. Shanmugam, Regional Director, Madurai,
were present during the event.
The Regional Centres in Tamil Nadu, with
Madurai RC as the Nodal Centre, are
coordinating the programme.n
Basic computer training for N-E youth
IGNOU Institute for Vocational
Education and Training (IIVET),
Shillong, in collaboration with Basix,
a new generation livelihood promotion
institution, has provided Basic
Computer training to students from rural
areas of Meghalaya through various
Common Services Centres (CSCs).
The training is part of an MoU signed
between IIVET and Basix on December
4, 2009. According to the MoU, the
institutes had to deliver vocational
training on Computer Literacy, Tailoring
and Grocery, Dairy Management,
Electrical Wiring, etc, through 60 CSCs
50 in Meghalaya and 10 in Sikkim.
As on date, 72 students have finished
the 45-day computer training in CSCs
located in the following areas: Lawbah,
Lawsohtun, Mawlong, Mawkyrwat,
Shella, Shangpung, Nongbah,
Laitryngew, Tura, Laitkor and Phulbari.
The training has benefitted many
students, especially those from rural
areas. After completing the training, at
least 25 candidates have become
eligible to apply for jobs in the Border
Security Force Department as computer
operators. Five students have started
working in local computer shops.n
ICT training forTamil Nadu teachers
Students undergoing computer literacy training at a Common Services Centre in Meghalaya.
Dr Poongothai Aladi, MoS for IT, with VC ProfPillai after the signing of an MoU.
8/7/2019 Open Letter August Issue 2010
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WEDNESDAYAugust 18
07:30: PariveshiyeAddhyan Mein
11:30: Phir EkKhamoshi
12:00: BhashaMandakini (Sanskrit):
Vedic Maths- 11,
Prakrit Part- 15
18:30: NIOS:1. Skeleton,
Muscles &Movement
2. Statistics
(Hindi)
FRIDAYAugust 20
08:30: AadhunikBharatiya Sahitya
Bharatendu
10:30: NCERT/CIET:Sec. & Sr. Sec.:Maths
for Class XII: Deriva-
tive as Rate of Change
13:00: Science/Environment/Health:
The Story of A River
18:30: NCERT-CIET-Primary: Natak Khelna
Aasan Hai (Baten
Kahani Ki)
SUNDAYAugust 22
08:30: IGNOU:OET-031, Humsafar
11:30: North EastKaleidoscope/ Women
Empowerment: When
water Breathes Again
17:00: United Nations:An Experiment to Save
The World
18:30:NIOS: 1. Com-munication 2. Algorithm& Flow Chart (Hindi)
22.30: BROU: ProjectReport
WEDNESDAYAugust 25
17:00: United Nations:Malaria Battle of
the Merzoites,
Life Story
21:00: IGNOU:DPE-Adhigam Mein
Sampreshan Ka
Mahatva
SATURDAYAugust 28
08:30: IGNOU:Brahmand Ki Khoj
12:00: BhashaMandakini:Vedic
Maths, Prakrit Part-2413.00: Science/Environment/Health:
Brahmand Ki Khoj
MONDAYAugust 30
08:30: IGNOU:Disorder of
Thoughts
12:00: BhashaMandakini (Sanskrit):Vedic Maths -2
18:30: NIOS: SimpleMachines (Hindi)
Dr R.R. Rausaria has beenappointed new Director ofIGNOUs Distance EducationCouncil (DEC). Prior to joining
DEC, Dr Rausaria worked as
Registrar (I/c) in the Material
Production and Distribution
Division (MPDD).
Earlier, he worked as
Director, Directorate of
Distance Education,
Kurukshetra University. He has also
served in the Distance Education Council
(DEC) as Deputy Director since 1994.
A recipient of Alexander von Humboldt
Fellowship from Germany, Dr Rausaria
has also been a faculty member of
National Institute of Technology, Srinagar.
In addition to the already
continued initiatives of DEC,
his main priorities would be todiversify the activities of the
Council in the following thrust
areas: development of
Programmes, specific norms
and guidelines; strengthening
the research activities of ODL
system both systemic and
discipline-based research;
programme-specific assessment and
accreditation; development of norms for
strengthening of Student Support Services;
use of technology for enhancing the reach
of programmes in remote and distant areas;
and establishment of Centre for Internal
Quality Assurance in all ODL Institutions.n
Dr R.R. Rausaria.
At six, children are usuallyexpected to study primaryschool subjects. But Divya
Prakash Pandey is special. The six-
year-old has become the youngest
student in the Indira Gandhi
National Open University (IGNOU),
and perhaps the youngest in any university.Having a keen interest in the world of
clay and designs, Divya enrolled
himself in Certificate Programme
in Craft and Design (Pottery)
(CCDP).
Divya dreams of doing wonders
in craft and design. He also
wishes to design and develop the
famous magic trick Water Of Indiathrough his world of clay.n
MILEsTONEsONcampus
HIGHLIGHTS
Dr Rausaria appointed new DEC Director
Six-year-old Divya is IGNOUs youngest student
[
Not to beMissedWatch a special programme on
Water Resources: Hydrologic
Cycle and Indian Rainfall at
11 am on August 23. A near-
perfect rainfall in the past fewdays has boosted crop
planting, thus raising hopes of
a considerable increase in the
countrys total crop output.]
Divya Prakash.
IGNOU, Navy sign MoUSeptember, 2000: The IGNOUNavy EducationalProject is initiated by signing of an MOU withIndian Navy on September 23, 2000.
lVice Chancellor Prof Abdul Waheed Khan
leaves IGNOU for Commonwealth of Learning
(COL), Canada
lMinistry of External Affairs offers 100
scholarships for the learners of South Asian
countries to enable them to carry out their
studies.
lIGNOU starts a scheme to offer two to four
short-term Visiting Fellowships to Distance
Education Professionals working in Asian Open
Universities for carrying out a small project
connected with the promotion and development
of Distance Education. For 2000, four
professionals from Hong Kong Open University,
Payame Noor University, Tehran; Open University
of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh Open University
are awarded the fellowships.
lA new Regional Centre is established in
Ranchi, the capital of newly-created Jharkhand
on EIL for construction of second phase of
campus construction.
Gyan Darshan goes 24-hourJanuary, 2001: Gyan Darshan becomesa 24-hour channel.
24-hr Gyan Darshan