IGNOU convocation today to be a simultaneous first

President Pranab Mukherjee is scheduled to deliver the convocation address at 12 noon,which will also be webcast on the official website of IGNOU (www.ignou.ac.in). At Pune Regional Centre of IGNOU philanthropist Lila Poonawalla will be guest of honour,an official release said.

IGNOU,which has a cumulative strength of around three million active students on its rolls,offers more than 400 programmes with 3,500 courses at various levels from certificates to doctoral degrees,developed through 21 schools of studies and some nodal centres,and delivered through 67 regional centres.

During the XII five-year plan period,IGNOU plans to focus on major areas including increasing access,equity and quality of ‘open and distance learning’ by strengthening student support services,providing support for creating avenues for affordable education with provision for lateral entry into mainstream education,developing human resource through vocational and need-based programmes including skill development,and providing support for ICT enabled initiatives for extending the reach to all disadvantaged sections of society.