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Conventional teaching methods can’t cope with challenges: IGNOU chief

— Photo: T. Singarvelou

WELL DONE: Governor and Chancellor Surjit Singh Barnala presenting a degree to a student at the convocation of Annamalai University in Chidambaram on Tuesday. Also seen are V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, Vice-Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University (second from left), and M.A.M. Ramaswamy, Pro-Chancellor of Annamalai University.

CUDDALORE: Governor and Chancellor Surjit Singh Barnala conferred doctorate and M.Phil degrees on 430 candidates at the 75th convocation of Annamalai University held at Chidambaram on Tuesday.

He also gave away medals and cash awards to 146 candidates. A total of 71,424 candidates, both day scholars and distance education students (61,612), were qualified to get the scrolls.

Delivering the convocation address V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai, Vice-Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi, said the conventional teaching-learning methods could not cope with the scale of educational challenges the country faced.

Despite the government’s efforts, one-third of the adult population remained illiterate country and only 12 per cent of the children completed Std. X and only 10 per cent of the students eligible for university education joined 18,000 colleges and 360 universities. These gaps could be filled by appropriate and innovative technologies. The institutions that had adopted the dual-mode teaching (open and distance education systems) played a vital role, and Annamalai University was a pioneer.

He noted that distance learning accounted for 24 per cent of university students, and the government’s policy was to raise the figure to 40 per cent. Distance education was particularly helpful for women who made up 40 per cent of distance education students as against 20 per cent in the conventional mode.

Dr. Pillai said the lack of trained teachers was the constraint in achieving the millennium development goal of universal primary education. The target was to increase the gross enrolment rate from 10-15 per cent in the next five years, and in this endeavour the higher education institutions had a pivotal role to play.

He paid tributes to the family of founding Pro-Chancellors Rajah Sir Annamalai Chettiar and Rajah Sir Muthiah Chettiar for having gifted the “temple of learning” to society.

Vice-Chancellor M. Ramanathan read out a report on the achievements of various departments and the extracurricular activities of the university.

Pro-Chancellor M.A.M.Ramaswamy, Registrar M. Rathinasabapathi and Collector Rajendra Ratnoo were present.

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