PANAJI
The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) which hitherto operated a centre in Goa could soon function from a permanent campus with the Goa government allotting it 5,000 square meters of land at Farmagudi.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced the allocation of the land at Farmagudi while addressing the IGNOU convocation on Tuesday at the International Centre Goal at Dona Paula.
Sawant was appreciative of IGNOU's efforts to offer certificate and diploma courses linked to the 'Skill India' program of the Central government.
Sawant said, advanced education is the need of the hour as the country's youth need to equip themselves with skills to meet the human resource requirements of a growing economy.
"I am glad IGNOU is offering several such courses which will help the country meet the Prime Minister’s dream of Viksit Bharat 2047," Sawant said.
IGNOU Regional Director, Dr Kameshwari Moorty, in his address said the nation's strength lies in its human resources which can only be developed through higher education.
“Each one of us should get equal opportunities to pursue higher education. Some of us do not get that due to various reasons. And, IGNOU has the answer for all those who wished to study further but could not,” Moorty said.
The Panaji Regional Centre awarded 1,363 degrees to those who completed their courses in the December 2022 and June 2023 term-end examinations. The main convocation ceremony was held at IGNOU's Delhi campus where Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar was the chief guest.
Simultaneously 39 regional centers of the university organized similar ceremonies across the country including Goa. A total of 3,35,084 degrees were awarded across the nation this year by IGNOU.
