IGNOU: A hope for India’s Future

The IGNOU full form is Indira Gandhi National Open University. It is one of the top universities for management studies like MBA, BCA, BBA, etc., among other programs. The university has many graduate, postgraduate, and diploma courses.

The significance of the University lies in its reach. It consists of a network of regional centers and use of technology in order to reach marginalized sections of the society. IGNOU has 56 Regional Centers and 11 recognized Regional Centers. This has made it one of the top universities for Distance Education.

It specializes in ODL (Open and Distance Learning). ODL exempts the student from any restrictions while entering or exiting the program. It supports and facilitates education for many sects of society. It helps the student through any personal problems the student might have. The curriculum of this university has been built accordingly.

The University values the principles of liberal studies. This makes it easier for the students to pursue undergraduate and postgraduate courses. This is evident in their core values. It is also very evident in IGNOU history. Open education is the very reason it was established. In 1985, there was a call for open education by the Union Government. With this in consideration, IGNOU was established by the Act of Parliament. This is the reason that the University has become an icon for positive change in the education system.
It strives to deliver on this. IGNOU uses multiple modes of learning for its courses. The university uses both printed and audio visual material to deliver its syllabus to the students.

The University accepts admissions in two cycles, one in January and then July. If a student seeks admission in the University, they have to fill the online form. A link to the form is given in the IGNOU prospectus given on the website. The eligibility for each program is also given in the document. The student is required to read it and apply accordingly.

On the link, the student will get to create a username and password in order to fill the admission form. They also have to upload a scanned copy  of photograph, signature, age proof, education/experience and category certificates. After paying the application fee, their admission for the course will be processed.   

This university uses its regional centers to reach its students and facilitates learning through them. They are responsible for both propagating, and facilitating open education for the students. They have libraries, laboratories, classrooms and other learning aids that the students can use. These are a key feature of the IGNOU pedagogy. Some notable cities that have regional centers are:  

• IGNOU Delhi 
• IGNOU Kolkata 
• IGNOU Mumbai 
• IGNOU Chennai 
• IGNOU Bhopal 
• IGNOU Pune
• IGNOU Jodhpur 

It has 21 schools of study ranging from Law, Engineering, Humanities, Media, etc. The university is extremely well known for its management school of study. IGNOU for MBA is extremely well known. Their MBA program is recognized by employers all over the country.

It is an AICTE approved course that has a good curriculum. The faculty is experienced and the course content is curated carefully according to the needs of the students.
The duration of the program is 2 years. Students are required to complete 3 years of graduation to be eligible for the course. Admission can be acquired through online registration.
Similarly, they also offer Graduate, Post Graduate, Diploma, and Certification courses, all of these courses are recognized by the UGC. 

The Indira Gandhi National Open University can revolutionize India’s youth. It has been helping students all over India for decades together. We, at Dheya, feel that the university is doing its best to help students from all backgrounds get an opportunity to learn but it is our responsibility to help spread awareness and see to it that students have the minimum resources to pursue a course from this university.   

If each one of us does our part, the impact IGNOU and other universities like this can have an impact that changes India forever.