In the wake of recent gruesome gang rape incident in Delhi and other cases reported being from other parts of the country, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is promoting courses in gender sensitivity and gender studies.
The university offers one-year/ two-year courses in English medium on gender issues and these programmes are aimed at gender equality.
To create awareness, especially in smaller towns and rural areas, the varsity’s Regional Centre in Madurai is taking special initiatives in view of last month’s rape incident that shook the entire nation.
The gender-focused courses are the two-year Master of Arts in Gender and Development Studies and the one-year Postgraduate Diploma in Women and Gender Studies.
“These programmes have been there for the past two or three years, but what has happened recently in Delhi brings these two courses into focus because of the importance of gender sensitivity and equality. We want more candidates to pursue these courses,” S. Mohanan, Regional Director, IGNOU Madurai Regional Centre, told The Hindu here on Tuesday.
He said both the programmes would enable learners to analyse the extent of gender sensitivity, development interventions and gender differentials and suggest affirmative action to promote gender equality.
Students who successfully complete any of these two courses will be able to pursue careers with non-governmental organisations, in corporate sector and media, besides conducting gender training programmes for specific target groups.
Another important course being offered by IGNOU, Dr. Mohanan said, is Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Cardiology of two-year duration. The eligibility for joining this course is MBBS and selection of candidates will be on the basis of centralised counselling by the university.
This programme is offered in collaboration with leading cardiac institutions in the country, he said. Hands-on training will be provided in ECG and stress testing, echocardiography, management of cardiac patients, paediatric cardiology and various prevention aspects in cardiac care.
About 60 cardiac institutes have been designated as training centres for offering the programme. Entrance test for admission to Postgraduate Diploma in Clinical Cardiology will be conducted on February 24 at various centres in the country.
While the last date to apply is January 10, the Regional Director has said applications from interested candidates would be accepted for a couple of days more. Details can be had from university website www.ignou.ac.in. Candidates can also contact the IGNOU Madurai Regional Centre through e-mail- rcmadurai@ignou.ac.in.
“We are planning to conduct awareness programmes in Madurai region to make people know about the courses being offered by our university to suit various sectors. We advise college students to go for additional course so that they will be better equipped for employment and career,” Dr. Mohanan added.
