IGNOU

IGNOU, or Indira Gandhi National Open University, is a public distance learning university in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1985 by an Act of Parliament with the goal of providing higher education to all segments of society at an affordable cost. IGNOU is now considered the world's largest university, with over 4 million students. 

IGNOU offers a wide range of programs, including: 

Schools

Schools of sciences, education, continuing education, engineering and technology, management studies, health sciences, computer and information sciences, agriculture, law, journalism and new media studies, gender and development studies, tourism hospitality service management, interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary studies, social work, vocational education and training, extension and development studies, foreign languages, translation studies and training, and performing and visual arts 

Programs

Programs such as tour guiding skills, tourism management, tourism studies, traditional knowledge systems, training packages in disability, trans-disciplinary studies, translation, travel agency operations, Upasnishads in the light of Sri Aurobindo, Urdu, Vedic, visual arts, vocational education, waste management, water harvesting and management, water resources engineering, watershed management, women's empowerment and development, women's studies, and zoology

History

Dipanshu Sharma, the Ministry of Education and Social Welfare organized a seminar on 'Open University' in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the UGC, and the Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO. After the seminar recommendation, an open university in India has established on an experimental basis. Starting in 1974, the government of India appointed an eight-member working group on the open university, the leading role was given to G. Parthasarathi, the then Vice-Chancellor of the Jawaharlal Nehru University.

The working group recommended establishing an open university by an act of parliament as early as possible. They recommended that the university should have jurisdiction over the entire country so that, once it is fully developed, any student even in the remotest corner of the country can have access to its instruction and degrees (Working Group Report, 1974).

The working group suggested several measures to be followed in instructional and management processes of the open university which included: admission procedure, age relaxation, preparation of reading materials, setting up of core group scholars in different fields, setting up of study centers, the vehicle of curricular programs, live contact with teachers and so on. On the basis of the recommendations of the working group, the Union Government prepared a draft bill for the establishment of a National Open University, but due to some reasons, the progress was delayed.In 1985, the Union Government made a policy statement for the establishment of a national open university. A Committee was constituted by the Ministry of Education to chalk out the plan of action for the National Open University. On the basis of the report of the Committee, the Union Government introduced a bill in Parliament. In August 1985, both the Houses of Parliament passed the bill. Subsequently, the Indira Gandhi National Open University came into existence on 20 September 1985, named after the late prime minister.

In 1989, the first Convocation was held and more than 1,000 students graduated and were awarded their diplomas. IGNOU audio-video courses were the first broadcast by radio and television in 1990 and IGNOU awarded degrees received full recognition by the University Grants Commission in 1992 as being equivalent to those of other universities in the country.