The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : IGNOU to decentralise printing of self-learning materials

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Tamil Nadu

IGNOU to decentralise printing of self-learning materials

Special Correspondent

The institution has student strength of 18.5 million at present

CHENNAI: The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) will decentralise printing and distribution of its self-learning materials, said V.N.Rajasekharan Pillai, Vice-Chancellor on Saturday.

Speaking to The Hindu here Dr. Rajasekharan Pillai admitted that a few thousand students of the IGNOU might not have received the study materials. The institution had a student strength of 18.5 million at present, he said. Till recently the IGNOU was sending the materials by post. But many students would have changed their address by the time the study materials were distributed.

To overcome this problem it was decided to print and distribute the materials at the regional level, Dr. Rajasekharan Pillai said. “A decentralised printing and distribution of study materials would become operational from July,” he said.

Talking about academic councillors, he said at present the university had 50,000 of them, a number not sufficient to help the students. With a view to increasing the number, the university had enhanced the remuneration of college teachers showing interest in educating the IGNOU students, he said.

Similarly, the university was conducting training programmes for councillors on how to use self-learning materials. Those who attended training could disseminate information, he said.

World over, 40 to 60 per cent of students studied under the Open University education system. In India, 18 per cent of them were studying through this non-conventional medium and in the next five years 40 per cent of students would be studying under the system, he said.

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