Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) celebrated its 25th anniversary in New Delhi on 19 November 2009. Named after India’s late Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi, IGNOU meets the needs of learners who are unable to access higher education.
Speaking at the Silver Jubilee celebration, Indian President Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil quoted Mrs. Gandhi’s vision:
Communication technology frees the entire concept of education from its previous limit of time and space ... we can reach out to the remotest places and to the best minds that exist. We do not have all of it yet in India, but I sincerely hope that we will have it soon and that this will help our education to be more broad-based and deeper.
Today IGNOU is the largest university in the world, with an enrolment topping 1.4 million students. It offers a wide range of programmes and courses through a vast network of learning centres.
At the Silver Jubilee celebration, President Patil announced the Rajiv Gandhi International Prize for Education and Technology Development, to be awarded annually to an individual or institution that has made significant contributions to educational technology for development in the developing world.
IGNOU is partnering with COL to present the Sixth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning (PCF6) from 24-28 November 2010 in Kochi, Kerala, India.
www.ignou.ac.in
COL PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE IN CHINESE
China Central Radio & TV University Press has vastly extended COL’s reach by translating six of COL’s training handbooks into Chinese. The publications cover a range of ODL issues including quality assurance, tutoring, creating ODL learning materials and blended eLearning. A division of the State Education Commission, China Central Radio & TV University Press publishes books, teachers’ guides, study guides and other reference books for open and distance education.
www.crtvup.com.cn
AUSTRALIANS EMBRACE E-LEARNING
Australian organisations are using cutting-edge technologies as a key part of their business strategy to revolutionise workplace training and development, saving them time and money and empowering their employees. The Australian Flexible Learning Framework provides support for vocational education and training practitioners and training providers working in e-learning with programmes such as learning through digital media, mobile phones and avatar animation.
http://flexiblelearning.net.au
INTERNET RADIO INTRODUCED IN THE MALDIVES
Working in partnership with COL and the Open University of Malaysia, the Ministry of Education in the Maldives has launched an Internet radio service. iRadio EDC provides a range of educational radio programmes, all available for free over the Internet.
http://iradio.edc.edu.mv
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING COURSES
By Dr. T.V. Ramachandra, Indian Institute of Science
Rapid industrialisation of developing countries has led to a shortage of engineering personnel at all levels, including the industrial sector and in infrastructure management. Recognising this need, COL provided five high quality environmental engineering modules (earlier developed by UNESCO-COL) to the Indian Institute of Science. COL and IISc collaborated to revise the modules so that they could be taught as courses through open and distance learning (ODL).
The five courses are:
- Management of municipal solid waste
- Environment management
- Soil and groundwater pollution from agricultural activities
- Air pollution control
- Water and wastewater treatment
These courses, which include relevant real-world examples, provide continuing professional development for practicing engineering professionals in India and developing Commonwealth countries. The ODL format enables in-service engineers to pursue studies without the need to leave the workplace for extended periods. First released in 2006, the courses have been printed in book form by TERI Press, New Delhi and are also available through IISc.
Print version of the courses:
http://bookstore.teriin.org
Indian Institute of Science webpage:
http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/energy/DistanceEducationCourses