The Hindu : Front Page : Madurai to host virtual convocation

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Madurai to host virtual convocation

Shastry V. Mallady

It will benefit IGNOU students from 17 districts
35 regional centres will take part at the same time

MADURAI: Students of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) from 17 districts in the State attached to Madurai Regional Centre will, for the first time, have an opportunity to participate in the annual convocation in Madurai itself, thanks to teleconference facility.

Candidates need not travel to Chennai to receive degree certificates as the regional centre will be able to conduct a ‘virtual convocation’ simultaneously along with the varsity headquarters event in New Delhi scheduled for February.

University officials told The Hindu on Friday that Madurai got this facility because it had been upgraded into a regional centre, thereby extending its reach to several districts, including Coimbatore, Erode, Karur, Thanjavur, Tiruchi and The Nilgiris, besides all southern districts.

“After beaming live the chief guest address from New Delhi on the day of convocation, the university will present degrees locally to all successful candidates who had completed their diploma/postgraduate diploma/undergraduate and postgraduate courses,” said K. Panneerselvam, IGNOU Regional Director.

The university has 35 regional centres in the country and all of them will be part of the convocation on the same day, at the same time through teleconference mode.

Dr. Panneerselvam said that the Madurai Regional Centre had about 10,000 candidates, pursuing different courses.

The university authorities were keen that students should have all facilities nearer to their place of residence and the convocation closer home would avoid long travel for receiving degrees.

According to Regional Director, there will be more student-friendly features once the regional centre gets its own building and other facilities established on land allotted by the State Government near Koodal Nagar.

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