The Indira Gandhi National Open University known as IGNOU is a national university with its headquarters in New Delhi, Delhi, India. Named after former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, the university was established in 1985 with a budget of 2000 crore, when the Parliament of India passed the Indira Gandhi National Open University Act, 1985 (IGNOU Act 1985).

IGNOU, the largest university in the world with 3,500,000 students; was founded to impart education by means of distance and open education, provide higher education opportunities particularly to the disadvantaged segments of society, to encourage, coordinate and set standards for distance and open education in India and strengthen the human resources of India through education.^[5] Apart from teaching and research, extension and training form the mainstay of its academic activities. It also acts as a national resource centre, and serves to promote and maintain standards of distance education in India. IGNOU hosts the Secretariats of the SAARC Consortium on Open and Distance Learning (SACODiL) and the Global Mega Universities Network (GMUNET) initially supported by UNESCO.

IGNOU has now started it decentralisation process by setting up five zones, viz, north, south, east, west and north east. The first of the regional head quarters, catering to four southern states, Pondicherry, Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep is being set up in the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala

History

In 1970 (International Education Year), the Ministry of Education and Social Welfare in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the UGC and the Indian National Commission for cooperation with UNESCO, organised a seminar on ‘Open University’. The seminar recommended the establishment of an open university in India on an experimental basis. The Government of India appointed eight member working group on Open University in 1974. The leading role was given to G. Parthasarathi, the then Vice-Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

The working group had recommended establishing an Open University by an act of parliament as early as possible. The university should have jurisdiction over the entire country so that, when it is fully developed, any student even in the remotest corner of the country can have access to its instruction and degrees (Working Group Report, 1974).

The working group suggested several measures to be followed in instructional and management processes of the open university which include: admission procedure, age relaxation, preparation of reading materials, setting up of core group scholars in different fields, setting up of study centres, vehicle of curricular programmes, live contact with teachers, and so on. On the basis of the recommendations of the working group, the Union Government prepared a draft bill for the establishment of a National Open University, but due to some reasons the progress was delayed.

In 1985 the Union Government made a policy statement for establishment of a national open university. A Committee was constituted by the Ministry of Education to chalk out the plan of action of the national Open University. On the basis of the report of the Committee, the Union Government introduced a Bill in the Parliament. In August 1985, both the Houses of the Parliament passed the Bill. Subsequently, the National Open University came into existence on September 20, 1985. It was named after late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The Indira Gandhi National Open University (established by the Act of Parliament) is responsible for introducing and promoting distance education at the university level, and for coordinating, determining and maintaining standards in such systems functioning in the country.

In 1989, the first Convocation was held and more than 1,000 students graduated and were awarded their diplomas. IGNOU audio-video courses were first broadcasted by radio and television in 1990 and IGNOU awarded degrees received full recognition by the University Grants Commission in 1992 as being equivalent to those of other universities in the country.

In 1999, IGNOU launched the first virtual campus in India, beginning with the delivery of Computer and Information Sciences courses via the Internet.

Schools

IGNOU currently serves approximately 3.5 million students in India and 40 countries abroad (UAE , UK , Qatar , Kuwait , Oman , Bahrain , Saudi Arabia , Seychelles , Mauritius , Maldives , Ethiopia , Namibia , Kenya , Myanmar , Vietnam , Singapore , Indonesia , Malaysia , China , Nepal , Sri Lanka , Kyrgyzstan , Afghanistan , Fiji , France , Ethiopia , Ghana , Gambia , Sierra Leone , Madagascar , Liberia , West Indies , Samoa , Lesotho , Malawi , Swaziland , Nigeria , Mongolia) in twenty one schools and a network of 59 regional centres, 7 sub-regional centres, 2600 study centres, and 52 overseas centres. Approximately 20% of all students enrolled in higher education in India are enrolled with IGNOU. IGNOU offers 175 academic programs comprising 1100 courses at certificate, diploma and degree levels. In addition, a number of non-accredited extension and skill-oriented programmes are on offer through the twenty-one Schools.

SCHOOLS

• School of Humanities
• School of Social Sciences
• School of Sciences
• School of Education
• School of Continuing Education
• School of Engineering & Technology
• School of Management Studies
• School of Health Sciences
• School of Computer & Information Sciences
• School of Agriculture
• School of Law
• School of Journalism and New Media Studies
• School of Gender & Development Studies
• School of Tourism Hospitality Service Sectoral Management
• School of Interdisciplinary & Trans-disciplinary Studies
• School of Social Work
• School of Vocational Education and Training
• School of Extension & Development Studies
• School of Foreign Languages
• School of Translation Studies and Training
• School of Performing & Visual Arts

Institutes, cells, centers, and consortia

• Advance Centre for Informatics and Innovative Learning
• Electronic Media Production Center
• National Centre for Innovations in Distance Education
• Inter-University Consortium For Technology-Enabled Flexible Education & Development
• Centre for Extension Education
• Staff Training and Research Institute of Distance Education
• National Council for Disability Studies

Accreditation & recognition

IGNOU is granted the authority to confer degrees by Clause 5(1)(iii) of the IGNOU Act 1985. IGNOU is also recognised as a Central University by the University Grants Commission of India (UGC). The Association of Indian Universities (AIU) recognises IGNOU conferred degrees as on par with the degrees conferred by its members^[10][11] and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) recognises the Master of Computer Applications and Master of Business Administration program of IGNOU.

In 1993, IGNOU was designated by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) as its first Centre of Excellence for Distance Education empowered “to actively participate in Commonwealth co-operative endeavours to identify, nurture, and strengthen open learning institutions throughout the Commonwealth, particularly in the Third World ..”.

IGNOU also operates as an accreditor for open university and distance education systems in India through the Distance Education Council (DEC). Authority to do so is granted under Clause 16 and Statute 28 of the IGNOU Act 1985.

eGyanKosh

The website eGyanKosh shares digital learning resources developed by open and distance learning institutions in the India. Items in eGyanKosh are protected by copyright and registration is free.

Silver Jubilee celebrations

On the 92nd birth anniversary of Indira Gandhi, IGNOU completed twenty five years of its existence. This event was marked by the inauguration of the year long celebrations by Pratibha Patil at the headquarters of the University. Also present were Kapil Sibal, Minister of Human Resource Development and D Purandareswari, Minister of State, HRD. The inauguration was followed by the 25th Foundation Day Lecture, delivered by Dr. Narendra Jadhav, Member Planning Commission, Government of India.

One of the major activities proposed as part of the Silver Jubilee Year is the organisation of IGNOU Silver Jubilee Lectures, as a monthly event commencing from December 2009. Renowned experts and practitioners from different areas and academic disciplines will be invited to deliver talks, the topics of which broadly fall within the areas of ‘inclusion of the excluded’ and/or ‘education for marginalised’.

Pan Commonwealth Forum 6 : Kochi

The Sixth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF6) took place on 24–28 November 2010 at Le-Meridien, Cochin Resort & Convention Centre (Kochi, Kerala ), India. The theme of PCF6 was: Access and Success in Learning: Global Development Perspectives

PCF6 as an international forum explores the contribution of open and distance learning to international development goals, by opening up access to learning at every level. The Forum brings together practitioners, researchers, planners and policy makers in the fields of open and distance learning and development from over 70 countries. It provides opportunities to share experience and expertise, and to contribute to future policy and provision. Participants will represent the main Commonwealth, Asia and international institutions and agencies active in the field, including funding bodies and technology providers.

The Commonwealth of Learning’s biennial Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning has grown to become a leading international forum on learning and development. PCF6 brought the forum to India for the first time, jointly organized by the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), coinciding with the completion of 25 years of IGNOU.

Indo-Africa Virtual University

The Indo-Africa Virtual University is a virtual university that has been announced for Africa by the Indira Gandhi National Open University, with headquarters of the virtual university proposed to be in Ethiopia or Kenya, and an initial cost is estimated at 150 crore ($3.5 million), with an annual cost or 100 crore. It has been reported that it could take between six months and a year to implement, and would fuel demand in Africa for higher studies in Indian institutions.