IGNOU plans "School of Foreign Languages"

Coimbatore, Feb 17 (UNI) Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Vice Chancellor V N Rajasekharan Pillai today said IGNOU was mulling to start a ''School of Foreign Languages'' for the development of communication skills for the business people who frequent other countries.

Talking to newspersons here today, he said IGNOU had planned to start schools on foreign languages like Chinese, Japanese, German, French and Arabic.

He said the varsity had already tied up with the respective embassies of Germany, France and Japan and the school would start functioning from the next academic year.

Dr Pillai said the University had planned to start ''School of Translation Study Centres'' keeping in the mind the recent report that the country needs two lakh translators within three years.

A training programme had been formulated for the Anganwadi workers. A proposal had been sent to Union Ministry for approval in this regard, he said.

IGNOU in its 11th five-year-plan had proposed to start 8000 technology knowledge centres in villages for a budget outlay of Rs 600 crore.

He said, under the project, the University would provide all infrastructural and technical facilities that would be implemented in a phased manner within five years.

UNI