Distance education is a force contributing to the social and economic development. It is becoming an indispensable part of mainstream educational systems in developing countries like India, said A.K. Kumaraguru, Vice-Chancellor of Manonmaniam Sundaranar University.
He was delivering the 27th convocation address at the Madurai Regional Centre of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) on Wednesday.
“India, with its 706 universities and 35,539 colleges, has the largest educational system in the world. But the public sector institutes are less than non-public sector institutes. The Gross Enrolment Ratio is only 15 per cent,” Mr. Kumaraguru said.
According to him, India has 47 per cent State universities, 20 per cent deemed universities, 16 per cent private universities, 7 per cent central universities and 10 per cent of various institutes of national importance.
Besides establishing more number of institutions, improving the standards of existing universities and establishing quality distance education institutions should be our priority, he added.
A total of 8,247 graduates were conferred their degrees on Wednesday, with 811 graduates receiving their degrees in person. S. Vidya of B.Ed programme secured gold medal.
Dr. S. Mohanan, Regional Director of IGNOU, said IGNOU’s Madurai regional centre has 65 active learner support centres in 15 southern districts. IGNOU has special study centres at the central prisons in Tiruchi, Madurai and Coimbatore to empower and rehabilitate the prisoners, he added.
The Madurai regional centre is also in the process of establishing a Minority Women Study Centre in Ramanathapuram and a mobile study centre to cater to the needs of socio-economically disadvantaged leaders, Mr. Mohanan said.
