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IGNOU study centres at railway stations

Staff Reporter

To set up ‘virtual colleges’ in 3,000 railway stations across the country

KOCHI: The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) will set up ‘virtual colleges’ at 3,000 railway stations across the country in association with Railtel Corporation of India Ltd, a government concern.

IGNOU Vice-Chancellor V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai said here on Saturday that the university will offer its academic programmes through these study centres. IGNOU will utilise Railtel’s high-speed optic fibre cable network to provide educational content.

Project’s trial run

Prof. Pillai said the project’s trial run had been successful. An academic programme in this mode was offered from Thiruvananthapuram for the Nagaland University, he said.

Students will interact with teachers using the university’s distance-learning modules and online tests at these virtual colleges. The move was part of IGNOU’s efforts to extend its reach to the interiors of the country, Prof. Pillai said.

The university was trying its best to utilise the possibilities offered by Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in disseminating educational services, Prof. Pillai said.

Service providers

IGNOU had initiated talks with service providers to deliver educational content through mobile phones. The plan is to deliver content through text and audio and video to students who register for the courses, he said.

The university will set up five institutes for ‘professional competency and advancement of teachers’ in the country, Prof. Pillai said.

The university is providing training to nearly five lakh teachers in Bihar, as part of efforts to improve the quality of school education.

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