IGNOU, IT Dept to extend e-learning in east

NEW DELHI, INDIA: The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), announced on Wednesday that it has entered into an agreement with the Government’s Department of Information and Technology to facilitate e-learning in east India’s rural areas and optimize the use of technology to provide education in the region.

IGNOU Vice-Chancellor V.N. Rajashekharan Pillai signed the deal with the IT department’s local facilitator in the east - Srei Shahaj E-Village Ltd - at a function at the India Habitat Center.

“This is an initiative to tie our educational services to the 100,000 odd ‘Common Service Sundays’ centers of the IT department spread in the country, which provide weekly access to ICT (information communication technology) and Internet to people from rural areas,” IANS quoted Vice-Chancellor V.N. Rajashekharan Pillai saying.

“This technology should be optimally utilized and linking IGNOU’s facilities is a step toward that,” he added.

The e-learning programmes that would be linked to the centers include IGNOU’s certificate programmes in agriculture, rural development, farming practices, community radio as well as organic farming.

The educational programmes would be coordinated by IGNOU’s local counselors who will provide online academic material as well as counseling to the people in their subject of study, the vice-chancellor added.

It has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with HCL Infosystem to start courses in computer science, software engineering, information.

The MoU envisages activities in a slew of areas, including jointly setting up an Education Grid Laboratory and Advanced Centre for Informatics and Innovative Learning, the university said.

This week the open university is signing an MoU this week with IBM India to equip students with the skills in emerging verticals like Healthcare and Retail and also educate students on Open Source software and Open Standards.