New Delhi: IGNOU, the largest open
university in the world, plans to open study centres in
several countries in Europe and Africa to offer a variety of
courses and teachers' training programmes.
"We have proposals from as many as 11 countries
including Germany, France, Austria, Kenya and Ethiopia and we
currently studying them," said IGNOU vice chancellor V N
Rajasekharan Pillai.
He said the African countries are keen on rural
development programme while Kenya and Ethiopia have also
evinced interest for management programmes.
"We would also be offering teacher training programmes
in the African nations while a host of programmes on
contemporary subjects would be offered in some of the European
countries," he said.
IGNOU already handles a study centre in London. Besides,
it has presence in over 35 countries through 56 study centres.
Over 42,000 students are enrolled at its overseas centres.
More than 90 per cent of them are the people of Indian origin.
IGNOU courses were also seemingly gaining popularity in
the Gulf region that has a large strength of Indian
expatriates.
-PTI
First Published: Thursday, September 23, 2010, 01:20