The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is an old University that was established in 1985 with the aim of democratizing higher education. As an institution its main objectives is to provide cost-effective high quality education to the entire population. Indeed it was the first institution to offer distance learning, this factor among others made it be recognized as a centre of Excellence by getting an award from the Commonwealth of learning.

The university particularly focuses on educationally backward areas in the country like North East states and Sikkim and other places like Rajkot, Madurai, Siliguri, Darbhanga, Varanasi and Aligarh where the university has established sub regional centers due to the poor and socially excluded population of students in these areas. The university is also in more than other 35 countries among them the great China.

General University Programs
IGNOUs programs have the multiple media support, the institution produces both video and audio programs that are released through the radio and the Television. In the class rooms the university uses radio counseling and tele – conferencing to improve on the interactivity; it also runs a 24hr informative Television channel called Gyan Darshan, a project carried out in partnership with other higher institutions of learning with IGNOU as the focal agency.

Academic programs
Currently the university offers over 120 programs of study, these programs are very diverse and they are offered at different levels i.e. doctorate, masters, bachelors’ degree, diplomas and certificates. The university has rolled out and as at now it has established about 64 Regional Centers (RCs) and Sub-Regional Centers (SRCs) and in excess of 1400 Study Centers (SCs) that are all around India so as to increase the accessibility to the learners.

With over 1.5million students, IGNOU has very diverse academic programs for the taste of every individual; to improve on quality the university has launched two way video conferencing and it is about to launch online programs to allow access of education to more people not to mention the Open and Distance learning programs that have proved to be very successful. Teaching mode done is all different from others – it uses multimedia approach. For the scientific, engineering and technology modules, the students are given a chance to undertake practical at select centers.

Evaluation system is a two – tier with assignments and project forming the first tier and the end of semester examination, in which case all are compulsory. All the courses offered by IGNOU have their basic information and admission details on the website www.ignou.ac.in, for all the interested students, parents, guardians and the general public.