IGNOU to start its operation in nine foreign centres

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Two years after, The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) will soon resume its operations in nine centres abroad and start fresh enrolment of international students. The University has to remove its faculties before two years to legal complications.
While earlier the varsity had its centres in 84 countries, they were reduced to 29 due to administrative hassles but fresh enrolments even there had to be completely withdrawn in 2013.
However, IGNOU had been facilitating classes, end-term examination and other processes for the students who were enrolled prior to 2013.
“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,” IGNOU Vice Chancellor Nageshwar Rao told PTI.
“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,” he said.
“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 enrolments will begin in 9 countries,” the VC said.
“At present there are around 40,000 international students and there is a huge demand, so there was a lot of pressure to work this out. Now governments of both the countries will be involved. Earlier a few governments had objections that we were entering their territory without clearance so now that problem will be sorted out,” he added.
INGOU, is a central-government university which offers bachelors, masters, diploma and certificate courses in various subjects through distance mode only.
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