The university, which was accredited A++ grading by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) in its first cycle of accreditation three months ago, has been building a robust international brand of late.
Its global acceptance had come to the fore recently when the
government of Guyana approached the IGNOU to provide scholarships for 20,000
learners in the Caribbean country.
Guyana tie-up
The programme was promised by Mohamed Irfaan Ali, president
of Guyana, in his party’s manifesto in the run-up to the country’s general
elections last year, Prof. Rao said.
Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, who
laid the foundation stone virtually, said the Centre was committed to providing
all technical support to IGNOU’s regional centres. The growth of these centres
was crucial for the implementation of the National Education Policy, he added.
Envisaged to be developed with a built-up area of 2264.60
sq.m, the two-storeyed permanent campus of the Thiruvananthapuram regional
centre will come up at Muttathara.
An amount of ₹17.48 crore has been sanctioned for the
project that is expected to be completed by March next year. The Central Public
Works Department (CPWD) has been awarded the project.
IGNOU Pro-Vice Chancellor Satyakam, Registrar V.B. Negi,
Finance Officer Jitendra Dev Gangwar, CPWD chief engineer Sandeep Mehta, and
regional director B. Sukumar also spoke.