Shifting of IGNOU centre puts aspirants in a fix

Tribune News Service

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Jammu, January 5

After the closure of the Convergence Scheme a few years back by the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) management in New Delhi, which had affected the enrolment of students in various academic programmes (undergraduate/postgraduate) through the distance learning in the Jammu Regional Centre, now the recent order by the State Higher Education Department to the regional centre to vacate the building of the Government SPMR College of Commerce has put the students in a fix.

Sources said the order to shift the IGNOU Jammu Regional Centre from the SPMR College building has confused the students desirous of pursuing programmes in the new academic session 2016-17. They added that most of the admission seekers were from far flung areas of different districts of the Jammu division who were not able to pursue study in regular mode.

“We are still not able to decide whether to take admission or not because if the building shifts from the Commerce College, there may be possibility that the centre might take time to find another one and in between the students will lose precious time,” said Sajjad, an aspirant.

“Students from other districts like Poonch, Rajouri, Doda and Ramban having limited financial resources prefer to pursue studies through distance learning from IGNOU, but the uncertainty over shifting of the IGNOU centre has really confused us. We are not able to decide whether to pursue programme or not,” he added.

Meanwhile, IGNOU Jammu centre officials claimed that a decent number of students are applying for various programmes. “For students, there is nothing to worry about shifting of centre as we are witnessing a decent enrolment of students,” said an IGNOU official.

“There is no question of closing down the centre. Though the shifting may still take time, but the centre will remain intact for the benefit of students,” he added.

The Tribune had earlier reported that the State Higher Education Department had asked the IGNOU centre to vacate the building of Government Sri Pratap Memorial Rajput (SPMR) College of Commerce, Canal Road, which is being utilised by it to run its affairs since its inception in 1998. The Education Department has taken this stance after the commerce college had told it that it faces serious space crunch to accommodate its own students.

The centre has a network of 66 learning study centres — 16 regular study centres, 22 programme study centres, 24 special study centres and four jail study centres — across the Jammu region.