Seminar of SAARC nations on distance education begins in Delhi

New Delhi, Feb 21 (UNI) Academicians and educational administrators from SAARC countries are attending an International Seminar on 'Distance Education including Teacher Education for Achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)' being organised by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) here.

Inaugurating the three-day seminar, being organised by the School of Education at IGNOU, University Vice Chancellor V N Rajasekharan Pillai emphasised the importance of distance education for the development of the people of the SAARC countries.

Open and Distance Learning mode is the best way of empowering the masses through the democratisation of education, he said.

Vice-Chancellor of Allama Iqbal Open University in Islamabad, Mahmood H Butt, Deputy Director in Ministry of Education and Sports in the Nepal Government Bishwanath Karmacharya, Professor of Management Studies, Sri Lanka R M S W Ranasinghe, First Secretary, Embassy of Afghanistan in New Delhi Abas Bashir and eminent academicians from India are among others participating in the seminar.

Speaking on the occasion, Basir Ahmad Khan, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, in charge of School of Education IGNOU, said education was the best means to develop cordial relationship among the SAARC nations.

The countries of the region could achieve progress through spread of education and India could play a vital role and offer cooperation in higher education to all the SAARC countries.

He emphasised the need of friendly relationship among all the neighbouring countries of the region and assured assistance and cooperation of IGNOU in facilitating the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode of education.

Among others who are participating in the seminar include Jt Secretary (SAARC), Kheya Bhattacharya and other officials from the External Affairs Ministry.

UNI AR MS AS1457