IGNOU sets up 12 overseas study centres

India’s leading open and distance learning national university, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), has set up 12 overseas study centres in 10 countries, Satya Pal Singh, the Deputy Minister for Human Resource Development, told the lower house of the Parliament on April 2nd. The University, which started operations in 1987 with around 4,500 students, today has students strength of around 3 million across India and other countries. The university operates 21 schools of studies and a network of 67 regional centres, around 2,667 learner support centres and 29 overseas partner institutions. IGNOU offers about 228 certificate, diploma, degree and doctoral programmes, with a strength of nearly 810 faculty members, 574 academic staff and about 33,212 academic counsellors from institutions of higher learning, professional organisations, and industry among others.

The university has been a major driving force in the areas of higher education, community education and continual professional development, in India as well as other developing countries. Besides academic services, the university also offers vocational training and technical education with the latest in technology and techniques to prepare students for the job market. IGNOU has played a critical role in India’s treaties pertaining to cooperation in education and professional training. The university currently operates abroad with nearly 30 overseas partner institutions in nations such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Mauritius, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Papua New Guinea, Kenya, Singapore, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. These partnerships have strengthened India’s ties with foreign nations which in turn have opened up avenues of trade and investment.

The details of the 12 overseas study centres along with the total number of students enrolled during January 2016 to January 2018 cycle of admission are as under: