The Indira Gandhi National Open University IGNOU will again resume its operations in 9 centres abroad nearly after two years. The fresh admission process will begin for the international students as earlier the same was scrapped across 84 countries due to legal complications.
Why earlier it was scrapped?
Earlier the university in a short notice stopped the admission of students at its study centres located overseas due to some legal issues after the host nations objected to its direct agreements with the foreign institutes. IGNOU had its Overseas Studies Centres in somewhere around 84 countries earlier which were then reduced to 29. This is because of the administrative hussle and bussle but fresh enrollments even there had to be completely withdrawn in 2013.
IGNOU made provisions for those who were enrolled
For the students who seek admission prior to 2013, IGNOU had been arranging classes, end-term examination and other processes for the students. IGNOU Vice Chancellor Nageshwar Rao said "We have sent a proposal to the HRD ministry and it is in the advanced stage. We are likely to get an approval for nine study centres abroad including those in Gulf, South Asian and African countries from January 2016 cycle.”
Further he added that "We have had our centres in 84 countries but there were certain legal deformities and we had to discontinue it in 2013. Earlier we used to have an MoU with the partner institutions in the respective countries but the same was not routed through embassies or government channels."
While emphasizing over the operations of OSC’s VC said that the student strength across all the centres abroad was 40,000. "So once the majority agreements came to an end, the government also said that we should have a fool proof system, hence we have gone for the new mechanism and from the upcoming session fresh enrollments will begin in 9 countries.”
He was of the view that there are somewhere around 40,000 international students and there is a huge demand, so there had been a lot of pressure to work this out. As of now the governments of both the countries have collaborated. Earlier a few governments had objections that we were entering their territory without clearance so now that problem will be sorted out.
Not only does the University offers academic programmes across the world through partnership arrangements but also it has copyright or permission to many foreign institutions to adapt, adopt and use its learning materials
IGNOU, is a central-government university which offers bachelors, masters, diploma and certificate courses in various subjects through distance mode.
