About Us

About IGNOU

• Since its establishment in 1985, IGNOU has contributed significantly to the development of higher education in the country through the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode.
• The 'People's University' follows a learner-centric approach and has successfully adopted a policy of openness and flexibility in entry qualifications, time taken for completion of a programme, and place of study.
• The University, at present, offers 445 programmes of study through over5000 courses to a cumulative student strength of over 35 lakh students.
• The programmes are offered by the University at the following levels: doctorate; masters and bachelors degree programmes; post-graduate and under-graduate diplomas; and certificates.
• The education is disseminated in conventional, as well as emerging inter-disciplinary areas, such as consumer protection, disaster management, environment, human rights, tourism, women empowerment and child development, participatory forest management, participatory planning, resettlement and rehabilitation, teacher education, food and nutrition, continuing medical and health education, HIV/AIDs, laboratory techniques, and online learning.
• One of the biggest contributions of the University has been making available to long-distance learners, courses which were hitherto exclusively limited to Face-to-Face classroom transactions. These include programmes in physical and natural sciences, nursing, health, engineering and technology, computers, library and information sciences and BEd degree, among others.
• The University develops its academic programmes through 21 Schools of Study. A dedicated faculty, trained in distance education methodology, is responsible for planning, designing, developing and delivering academic programmes.
• IGNOU involves a large number of senior teachers and experts from premier institutions in the country as 'content experts' for developing and delivering its course material.
• The University has established a network of 65 Regional Centres (RCs), 6 Sub-Regional Centres and 3000 Learner Support Centres (LSCs) all over the country to provide easy access and effective support services to the learners. These include Regular Study Centres, Programme Study Centres (PSCs), as well as Special Study Centres for SC/STs, minorities, differently-abled learners, jail inmates, and personnel of different wings of Defence and Para-military services.
• The University has also begun to focus on the educationally backward regions. New educational and training initiatives in the North-Eastern states and Sikkim are currently under way. These initiatives would lead to the creation of basic infrastructure in the region, using the latest in the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for the region.
• The University has also extended its outreach beyond the borders of the country. IGNOU has entered into bilateral and multilateral alliances with several countries, especially in Asia and Africa: Australia, United Kingdom, France, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Seychelles, Mauritius, Maldives, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Papua New Guinea and Liberia.
• IGNOU intends to establish collaboration and partnership with government agencies and other open universities through international organisations like UNESCO, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Wide Fund (WWF).
• To promote international understanding, the University has a scheme of fellowships for academics and other staff working in the open universities of Asia under the Inter-University Staff Exchange Scheme. The University also hosts, supports and participates in national and international conferences to give impetus to research and academic activities of the faculty and staff.
• The University has developed capabilities for training in distance education methodologies. It has successfully organised training workshops for the staff and faculty from within IGNOU, and a number of other institutions like State Open Universities (SOUs), Correspondence Course Institutes (CCIs), administrative staff of Government agencies, and overseas faculty. These have been conducted through the joint coordination of the Schools of Study, Staff Training and Research Institute of Distance Education (STRIDE) and the Distance Education Council (DEC), besides some national and international sponsoring agencies.
• The academic programmes of the University have multi-media support. The University has facilities for audio, video, radio, television, interactive radio and video counselling, as well as tele-conferencing. IGNOU has also been identified as the nodal agency for running a 24-hour educational TV channel — Gyan Darshan — in collaboration with other institutions of higher learning. Gyan Vani is emerging as a huge cooperative network of FM radio stations, exclusively devoted to education.
• Apart from teaching, research and training, extension education is an important component of academic activities at IGNOU. Extension education provides the much-needed linkages between the community and the University. Various literacy programmes focusing on community awareness and education and training in need-based and relevant areas have been successfully executed by the University. This is part of the University's strategy of social intervention, and building the skill and knowledge capability of the community.
• IGNOU has the unique distinction of combining the conventional role of a University with that of an apex body in the promotion, coordination and maintenance of standards in distance education, through continuous assessment and accreditation of the ODL institutions. The University established the DEC in 1991 as a statutory authority to ensure high-quality education through the ODL systems. The DEC has developed the ethos of sharing professional capabilities and resources with its peers.

• widen access by offering high quality innovative and need based programmes at different levels, especially to the disadvantaged segments of society at affordable costs by using a variety of media and technology.
• promote, coordinate and regulate the standards of education offered through open and distance learning in the country.

Salient Features

• National Jurisdiction
• Study programmes suitable to the learner's preference, place and pace
• Need-based academic programmes at affordable costs
• Rigorous course development mechanisms, Modular programmes and credit system
• Multi-lingual and multiple media instructional packages
• Use of latest information and communication technologies for blended learning

About the Gujarat State

The State is situated on the west coast of India between 20-6’ N to 24-42’ North latitude and 68-10’E to 74-28’E longitude. It is bounded by the Arabian Sea in the West, by the States of Rajasthan in the North and North-East, by Madhya Pradesh in the East and by Maharashtra in the South and South East.

The State has an international boundary and has a common border with the Pakistan at the north-western fringe deserts, one north of Kachchh and the other between Kachchh and the mainland Gujarat are saline wastes.

The State has the longest coast-line of India of 16,600 KMs. Gujarat State comprises of 25 districts, sub-divided into 226 talukas, having 18618 villages and 242 towns. Gujarat has geographical area of 1.96 lkh sq. KMs and accounts for 6.19 percent of the total area of the country.

Demography

According to the provisional results of Population Census 2010, the population of Gujarat stood at 5.07 crore, including the estimated population of earthquake affected areas. The density of Gujarat was 258 persons per sq. km. in 2001. The literacy rate in the has increased from 61.29 per cent in 1991 to 69.97 per cent in 2001 out of which male literacy is 80% and female literacy rate is 58%. About 36.67 per cent population of Gujarat resides in urban areas. Urban literacy is 82% whereas the same in rural areas of Gujarat is 61%. Male & female sex ratio was 934 female for every 1000 male in 1991. This was further reduced to 920 female for every 1000 male in 2001. Schedule caste population is 36 lakhs (7%) and Schedule Tribe population is 75 lakhs (15%). Among the STs 92% are living in rural areas whereas 61% of the SCs are living in rural areas. Literacy rate among SCs is 71%, among STs it is 48%. The lowest percentage (only 33.39%) of women among ST category are literate in the State of Gujarat.

Introduction of the the Regional Centre, Ahmedabad

• The Regional Centre of Ahmedabad was established in 1988, inaugurated by the then Governor of Gujarat, Shri R.K. Trivedi.
• Prof.(Dr.) P. K. Mehta was appointed as the Founder Regional Director.
• Started with few Study Centres, today there are 60 Study Centres, Special Study Centres, and Programme Study Centres catering to the educational needs of different groups across the State.
• To achieve the objective of “reach the un-reached”, Regional Centre - Ahmedabad had established Study Centres in Central Jail, Ahmedabad & Vadodara, Blind People Association, Ahmedabad and Tribal Academy, Tejgadh, Dist. Baroda.
• During the last decade Regional Centre, Ahmedabad has enrolled more than 2.5 lakh Students in various programmes of the University and has the glorious history of having recipients of gold medals in DECE, DCH, BDP, MTM, PGDIBO, PGDFM, DCIM & ADCIM Programmes.
• Presently Regional Centre is located on the out-skirts of the city having 5 acres of land allotted by the Government of Gujarat, free of cost to IGNOU. It has the facilities like Edusat, Tele-conferencing, Library, Computer Lab and Gyanvani .
• In the year 2004, one Sub-Regional Centre was set up at Rajkot to promote and deliver need based programme for the population of Saurashtra and Kutchch. It was converted into a Regional Centre in 2007. Saurashtra University, Rajkot has given the building at a token rent.