AICTE-IGNOU Talks Likely on Blended B.Tech Degrees, Confirms VC Kanjilal

Vice Chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) professor Uma Kanjilal said the university will discuss a proposal to offer blended engineering or B Tech degrees through with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)."IGNOU VC Professor Uma Kanjilal said Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) would take up a proposal for offering blended engineering/ B Tech degrees with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

Talking to journalists in Pune at IGNOU Regional Centre on Tuesday, Kanjilal said the similar proposal had not been accepted by AICTE earlier.

She said, “Currently there is no permission from AICTE for B Tech through online or distance learning modes as the course is practical and lab heavy. However, if AICTE permits us, we can have B Tech degrees in a blended mode where students can learn theory through distance learning while they will physically attend the practical classes.”

“There have been discussions with AICTE regarding this previously but it was not approved. We will speak to them again regarding this proposal,” Kanjilal added.

The IGNOU Pune Regional Centre has set up its Swayamprabha studio. Swayamprabha is a group of 40 DTH channels that telecast educational programmes on a 24x7 basis using the GSAT-15 satellite. Original content of four hours is repeated five times everyday on these channels. IGNOU is the National Coordinator for Swayam Prabha for six channels (Ch 11 to 16). The centre is expected to be active from April onwards and will record content exclusively in Marathi.

IGNOU is an institution established by an Act of Parliament in 1985 to democratise education in India. It is India’s top open university with A++ accreditation from NAAC. It has over 69 regional centres and offers over 325 programmes. It offers multiple arts, commerce, and science courses however technical degrees or degrees with a significant practical component have not been allowed through online or distance learning programmes.