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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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    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

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

    16/16

    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