Delhi University Should Add Futuristic Courses To Its Curriculum: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Thursday said Delhi University should design futuristic courses and include them in its curriculum. He was addressing the inaugural session of a three-day international seminar on “Revisiting The Ideas of India from ‘Swaraj’ to ‘New India'”.

“I wish I were a student of DU. DU is celebrating its centenary year and we are celebrating the country’s Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. This is a happy coincidence,” he said.

The education minister also advised the university to include futuristic courses in its curriculum. “The times are changing. Our country’s inventions do not get patented. DU can start a short-term diploma course on patent process. The students will not only become employable in India but also at the international level… DU should add futuristic courses to its curriculum,” he said.

IGNOU Extends Assignment Submission Deadline For June 2022 Term End Examination

  

The Indira Gandhi National Open University, commonly known as IGNOU, extended the deadline for submitting assignments for the IGNOU Term-End Exam, or TEE, June 2022 sessions. The IGNOU assignment submission deadline for TEE June 2022 session is extended till May 31, 2022. The candidates of the IGNOU TEE 2022 are now being provided with some additional time to submit their assignments.

Union education minister says IGNOU professors are unaware of their powers.

 

The Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the professors of the Indira Gandhi National Open University are like Lord Hanuman. They are unaware of the powers they have and how it can change society. He further added that their work needs to be celebrated.

Pradhan was addressing the 35th convocation of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) on Tuesday. A total of 2,91,588 students, the highest ever, received their degrees and diplomas across the country at the convocation ceremony. Addressing the students & faculty members, Pradhan said, “I am here as a student. Being a student is a mental state, a condition, it is a mindset. Wherever, whomever, whatsoever, if you are open to learn, you are a student,” the minister said.

Pradhan said he was a student leader and has now become the education minister. Recalling his time as a student, he said in the late 1980s and early 1990s, there were protests against the Mandal Commission report and no convocation was held.

He said he always wished that he should have also got his degree at a convocation ceremony and this was a memorable event for him.

He said all the IGNOU professors, including those associated with the university’s regional centres across the country, possess the qualities of the “Anjani Putra” (Lord Hanuman).

“Hanuman is known to have saved society and become the voice of the downtrodden. He did not realise the kind of powers he possessed and sometimes, he had to be told about his immense powers. You are Hanuman. You do not realise what you have done. Let us celebrate what you have done,” the minister said.

He urged the degree holders to share a minute-long testimonial about the university on Facebook to celebrate the work of the faculty and the university.

The education minister also said whatever the IGNOU has been doing since its inception in 1985 has now become the National Education Policy and is being implemented across the country.

At 83, Monk Completes MA Philosophy From IGNOU

IGNOU conducted its 35th convocation in its Madurai regional centre on Tuesday.  One of the students who proved that age is no bar for education was 83-year-old Ramphal Rana. The monk graduated with a master’s degree in philosophy from IGNOU on Tuesday.

The university gave degrees, diplomas, and certificates to around 2.91 lakh meritorious students at the ceremony. According to a report by a leading news daily, Ramphal Rana wanted to explore himself and Indian religion, philosophy, and spirituality. His passion to learn more about the subjects inspired him to study further and he decided to do an MA in Philosophy from IGNOU.

Sant Ramphal, who turned monk in 2009, is a resident of Bahadurgarh. After retiring in 2000, he left everything and took the path of spirituality. He was one of the oldest students to get the degree during the 35th convocation of IGNOU. He was, however, unable to attend the convocation ceremony due to his health condition and distance.

This isn’t the first time the monk has achieved something bigger in life. According to him, he attained the fourth position at the national-level UPSC Stenographer examination. Apart from this, he also holds a first division LLB degree and has also passed the Company Secretary of India exam.

His zeal to learn more about ancient philosophers including Buddha, Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates, made him take up the MA (Philosophy) course at the university. Not just this, every year IGNOU offers degrees to a lot of students who are above 60 years of age. This year, IGNOU also conferred a degree to 70-year-old Ranjit Dixit who believes that there is no age to get an education.