Bhubaneswar: The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is keen to add more Odia-medium courses for the benefit of students from the state. This is in keeping with the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 that promotes education in regional languages.
This was discussed during a courtesy visit by IGNOU vice chancellor Prof Uma Kanjilal to Odisha’s higher education minister Suryabanshi Suraj on Tuesday. IGNOU has 43 study centres in Odisha, covering all districts.
During the interaction, Prof Kanjilal highlighted IGNOU’s recent initiative to launch the MBA program in Odia for students in Odisha and proposed extending the same for other courses such as Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education (DECE), Bachelor of Arts (BA), and Bachelor of Commerce (BCom).
The VC emphasized that offering higher education courses in their mother tongue would enable students to grasp the subjects more easily and effectively, thereby enhancing their creativity and learning outcomes. The discussion also included aligning with the objectives of NEP 2020 and introducing various skill development courses in Odia under IGNOU’s umbrella.
Among those present at the meeting were Kali Prasanna Mahapatra, director of the higher education department, Government of Odisha; Prof Nayantara Padhi, Prof Suhas Shetgovekar, and Prof Shachi Saha from IGNOU.
