"Correspondence courses are for dull students not lucky to go to colleges" __ so went the saying. But that is no longer the case. So much has changed now __ not only the way the courses are conducted but also the profile of people who take them up __ that correspondence courses are now more aptly called distance education.
 
Blessed by the patronage of the government, its funds, infrastructure and credibility, is the IGNOU or the Indira Gandhi National Open University. Bangalore is one among its 46 regional centres where programmes ranging from simple awareness courses to traditional degree courses to professional and doctoral courses are offered.

IGNOU is not just another university. It was established by an Act of Parliament in 1985 on a par with the University Grants Commission and the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research. It functions as an apex body under the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, striving for the promotion, maintenance and coordination of the open and the distance education systems in the country.
 
The IGNOU functions as a network of learning. "One of the main thrusts is to make distance education programmes available to anyone anywhere through systems of adoption, adaptation or translation," says Regional Director Dr B.P.R. Narasimha Rao.
 
The Bangalore unit of the IGNOU opened in 1987 and functioned from the Collegiate of Education premises till it moved to the present premises in Jayanagar in September 1996. In the opening year 191 students registered. In 2002, the figure is 14,114. "This is the enrolment figure just this year. Since the registration is valid for 2 to 8 years, the cumulative figure of students presently enrolled will be much higher," says Dr Rao. Approximately half of them are employed people. Statistics also show that about 70 per cent are males and the enrolments are predominantly from the urban areas.

STUDY CENTRES:
The study centres, which are usually colleges, form a major component in the IGNOU network. The face-to-face interaction with counsellors takes place at these study centres. Here the students clear their doubts and discuss course material with other students and counsellors.

Some of the colleges also allow their resources like library to be used by IGNOU students.
Over the years many study centres have been added, starting with Manipal in October 1988. Now, there are more than 30 such centres across Karnataka and Goa; of which nine are in Bangalore, besides in Gulbarga, Mysore, Dharwad, Bijapur, Davanagere, Surathkal, Belgaum, Bambolim in Goa etc. In May 1993, a sub-study centre was opened in the Bangalore Central Jail to cater to the needs of the inmates.

Efforts are underway to take some courses outside IGNOU. For example, Bangalore University is contemplating to adopt some of IGNOU's certificate courses. Also the Karnataka State Open University has shown keen interest in sharing IGNOU resources.

AUDIO-VISUAL METHOD:
IGNOU has radio and television channels __ Gyan Vani and Gyan Darshan __ which effectively supplement the written course material. The Bangalore Gyan Vani became operational in November 2001 and it is already a hit. Its signature tune got the first prize in the Radio Advertisements Producers Associations Award in Mumbai. This year, there were special programmes for the CET students and feedbacks at the station show that its programmes were greatly appreciated by students. The station has also programmes for Standard X students.
 
Bangalore Gyan Vani broadcasts on 107.6 Mz FM from 6 pm to 10 pm everyday. The programme is repeated from 6 am to 10 am the next day. It comprises lessons on language, science, health etc, besides music. There are also phone-in counselling sessions wherein listeners can call 6543016 or 6534017 during the programme. Besides, on the primary channel of All India Radio there is interactive radio counselling from 4 pm to 5 pm on Sundays.

Gyan Darshan is a 24-hour educational channel. Says Dr Rao, "Not all cable operators are showing this in Bangalore, in spite of the excellent educative content. We had a meeting with the cable operators. They spoke of poor demand, as most people prefer movies and movie song sequences. This, we believe, is due to lack of awareness. Actually, not many people, even students, are aware of the existence of a 24-hour channel like this. And, these programmes are useful not just to students but also to everyone, since there are many programmes concerning general awareness."

TAKING LEARNING TO VILLAGES:
IGNOU has kept pace with technological progress. It is a Centre of Excellence in Distance Education __ an award conferred by the Commonwealth of Learning in 1993. Incidentally, the IGNOU is the largest Open University in the Commonwealth and the courses are recognised not only in India but abroad too.
 
Says Dr Rao, "It is imperative that we take the benefits of such an institution to the interiors of Karnataka. The state-of-the-art telecommunication systems are a great help. Efforts are on to spread the benefits of IGNOU to Karnataka's rural areas. Language is one factor. The courses are in English and Hindi. So, it is very easy for the urban people to take these up. In fact, the figures show how popular our courses are. But when we come to villages, the medium of instruction has to be in Kannada. One way we have got around this is advising our counsellors to translate the material into Kannada."

Right now, there is only one course in Kannada; that is Certificate in Food and Nutrition. Dr Rao says suggestions have been put forward to Bangalore University to translate some of the course material into Kannada. Similarly, efforts are underway to find suitable sponsors for translation. Once a proposal is formulated, it will be forwarded to the headquarters for approval.

KNOW IGNOU BETTER
* Largest open university in Commonwealth
* Recognised in India and abroad
* From awareness courses to doctoral programmes
* Flexibility in terms of admission rules, place, pace and duration of study
* Registration valid from 2 to 8 years depending on the course
* No examination fee
* 24-hour educational TV channel: Gyan Darshan
* FM radio channel: Gyan Vani
* Phone-in programmes and teleconferencing facilities
* 72 programmes, 46 regional centres, 765 study centres across the country
* Collaboration with other open universities

SOME OF THE COURSES
The following are just a few of the courses IGNOU offers
* Ph D, MBA, MCA, B. Ed. BA, B. Com
* Master in Library and Information Science
* Master in Tourism Management
* Bachelor of Science in Nursing
* Advanced Diploma in Water Resources Engineering
* PG Diploma in HR Management
* PG Certificate in Radio Writing
* PG Diploma in Maternal and Child Health
* PG Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication
* Certificate in Consumer Protection
* Certificate in HIV and Family Education

WHO CAN DO THESE COURSES:
Almost anyone. You may a manager qualified in chemical engineering looking for additional qualification in HR management
Or, you may be a post-graduate in Political Science looking forward to taking a Doctorate
Or, you may be a general practitioner or a nurse looking for knowledge in paediatrics or nutrition.
Or, you may be mathematics teacher wanting to know more about political science or sociology
Or, you may be an advocate or police official looking for information on how to script a radio programme
Or, you may be just a parent wanting to know more about nutrition, family health etc
The list goes on...
Since these courses are flexible in terms of place, pace and duration of study a good cross section of people are eligible. And, many courses do not have an age bar either.

For details contact: IGNOU Regional Centre,
293, 39th Cross, 8th Block,
Jayanagar, Bangalore 560082.
Phone: 6654747, Fax: 6644848.
Email: ignoublr@bgl.vsnl.net.in
Website: www.ignou.ac.in