Two Degree Courses Simultaneously

From this academic year onwards, students will have the option of pursuing two degree courses simultaneously instead of spending an additional two or three years to acquire an added qualification. In a pathbreaking initiative, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has tied up with 160 colleges and universities across the country to help students enhance their qualifications while they enroll for undergraduate or postgraduate degree courses in these institutions.

The arrangement would enable students to take up degree, certificate or diploma courses for value-addition. So, if a student enrolls for a BCom degree course in a IGNOU partner-college, he or she can simultaneously study BA (Economics) through IGNOU. Similarly, a BA (History) student would be able to opt for a value-adding certificate course in tourism. The Open University will provide printed, audio and video learning material to the partner colleges and universities. Each institution would have to use its faculty to conduct "contact classes" for enrolled students for an additional two to four hours a day, either between 4.30 pm and 8.30 pm or an hour in the morning and three hours in the evening. Besides, on weekends, classes would be conducted for six to eight hours.

"This is the outcome of our Convergence of Open & Distance Learning and Conventional Systems initiative aimed at enhancing the gross enrolment ratio in higher education institutions from the existing 10 to 15% during the next five years. All colleges can partner with us for this and we will support the institutions by providing study materials and resources," IGNOU pro-vice chancellor Om Prakash Mishra said. In Tamil Nadu, well-known names like the Lady Doak College in Madurai, PSG College of Technology in Coimbatore, SASTRA Univeristy in Thanjavur, Periyar Maniammai University in Thanjavur, Karunya University in Coimbatore, Jamal Mohammed College in Tiruchi, and the Bishop Heber College in Tiruchi are among 26 partnering institutions.

In other states, institutions such as St Xavier's (Kolkata and Ahmedabad) and Nirmala Niketan College of Social Work (Mumbai) have joined the initiative. "Any regular student who has enrolled for an undergraduate or postgraduate degree programme in the part-nering institution through the conventional system can simultaneously enroll for a degree of the same level in IGNOU," Mishra added. In such cases, credit transfer will also be possible for certain subjects which are similar for both courses. Partnering universities (not colleges) can also jointly formulate novel degree programmes with the IGNOU. Mishra said the convergence scheme was a "benign fire" that was likely to engulf the entire country soon. "This will undercut unemployment and unemployability. I expect at least 5,000 colleges to partner with us in the next three years," he said.

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