Vice-Chancellor promises to introduce skill training programme 

The centre will cater to the needs of five districts in coastal Andhra

INGOU promises to start a community college in the city
 

VISAKHAPATNAM: The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is playing a great role in helping those keen to pursue higher education but facing a stigma of going to the college at a late age and also improving the literacy rate in the country, Union Minister of State for HRD D. Purandeswari said here on Tuesday.

She was speaking after inaugurating a Regional Centre of IGNOU, which will cater to the needs of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari and West Godavari districts of coastal Andhra.

The Regional Centre is located in the VUDA complex at Ushodaya Junction in MVP Colony.

IGNOU would offer all its courses here and the Regional Centre would be fully functional in two weeks.

Some time ago the National Institute of Open Schooling Centre was opened in the city and now a facility for higher education was provided, Ms. Purandeswari said.

The Union Minister urged people of this region to make use of the two facilities.

Ms. Purandeswari also got an assurance from Vice-Chancellor of IGNOU V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai that a skill training programme would be introduced here after meeting the representatives of local industries.

IGNOU had also assured that a community college would be opened here.

Better chance

Students, who could not pursue higher education, would be provided training at the community college and they would stand a better chance in the job market.

Ms. Purandeswari requested the IGNOU Vice-Chancellor to establish its zonal centre in Andhra Pradesh since the State was well connected to all other Southern States.

Prof. Pillai said IGNOU with four lakh students on its rolls was the largest university in the world in terms of number of students.

3rd centre

It was complementing the efforts of the conventional universities and it also has programmes to explain how best the schemes and programmes of the Government were utilised.

This was the third Regional Centre in the State after Hyderabad and Vijayawada.

Mayor P. Janardhana Rao, Director of IGNOU B.S. Sudhindra, Corporators P. Vijaychander and Ch.V. Pattabhiram and others spoke.