IGNOU, CNRI launch tailor-made courses at district centres

New Delhi, Nov 23 (UNI) The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and the Confederation of NGOs of Rural India (CNRI) will be launching tailor-made courses, that will help people earn their livelihood.

These courses will be imparted at jointly set-up knowledge centres which will established in every district of the country and then subsequently in every Block and in every village, said Prof V N Rajasekharan Pillai, Vice-Chancellor, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and Mr L V Saptharishi, Co-Chairman, Confederation of NGOs of Rural India (CNRI) today.

For this purpose, both the IGNOU and the CNRI are jointly organising a 'Bharat Vikas Yatra' with support from Ministry of Science and Technology, NALSA, LIC, National Insurance Company from November 25th to January 5 which will go through different parts of the country to spread awareness about the centres.

CNRI member NGOs can establish and operate these centres with the approval of Regional Study Centres of IGNOU in every State on the basis of a joint approval mechanism.

The programmes offered at these Centres can be designed and tailor-made to suit the requirements of the local population.

The programmes can be conducted by the Centres for periods ranging from 3-12 months and the subject of study could be Hindi, English or in other local languages. The functioning of these Centres will be overseen by an independent State level Advisory Committee and will be run on fee-share basis and the share for the CNRIs NGOs will be 50 per cent which will be utilised by them towards organisation of the support services.

Besides provision of furniture as per the scheme of the special Study Centres, these Centres will be provided with a computer and internet facility on the condition that each Centre should be able to enroll at least 50 students per cycle of admission.

There will be an Apex Committee under the Chairmanship of Vice-Chancellor of IGNOU to review the functioning of these Centres.

The body will also strategise for their innovative, effective, purposive and viable functioning.

UNI