Australian varsity, IGNOU to train Indian primary teachers

October 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has bagged a World Bank project worth over Rs.10 million to train agricultural researchers to boost eco-friendly farm productivity. IGNOU's School of Agriculture has got a research grant of Rs.1.04 crore to undertake the prestigious project on 'Innovations in Technology Mediated Learning', varsity spokesman Ravi Mohan said Tuesday.

September 9th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Fifteen teachers of government-run primary schools in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur district will face action for "not being able to perform simple arithmetic calculations", officials said Wednesday. The education department Wednesday recommended that the teachers should not be given a pay hike and also proposed a cut in their salary.

September 5th, 2009 LUCKNOW - Primary school teachers demanding a salary hike were baton charged by police here on Teachers Day. As the teachers tried to enter the state assembly Saturday, police baton charged them.

September 4th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A Memorandum of Understanding has been signed between Indian Army and Indira Gandhi National Open University to meet the twin objectives of empowering soldiers educationally and providing an opportunity for a second career option. The MoU was signed by Lieutenant General Mukesh Sabharwal Adjutant General and IGNOU Vice Chancellor Professor VN Rajasekharan Pillai in the presence of Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor at South Block today.

September 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - To empower soldiers educationally and to provide them with an opportunity of a second career option after retirement, the Indian Army has come out with a plan according to which soldiers who join service after school can study for a degree in market driven courses. The Indian Army will tie up with the Indira Gandhi National Open University to set up community colleges on the pattern of the US system of community colleges in its cantonments and other defence establishments to impart education in market-driven courses and soft skill programmes.

September 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Here's good news for 2.5 million students of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). Their exam results are set to come in faster and they won't have to travel all the way to Delhi in case they have a complaint.

September 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Australia's Deputy Prime MInister and Minister of Education, Ms Julia Gillard launched an ICT Enabled Diploma of Primary Education at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in New Delhi. Developed as a result of a 12-month collaboration between IGNOU and Australia's Queensland University of Technology, the diploma program will provide an understanding of the primary school curriculum, and the skills required to implement it effectively.

September 1st, 2009 NEW DELHI - Helping India attain universal primary education, an Australian university Tuesday joined hands with the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) here to train elementary teachers in rural regions. The teachers training programe will be conducted through IGNOU centres across the country, authorities of the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) said.

August 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The country's premier long distance education varsity, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has collaborated with nearly a dozen universities in as many countries to develop skills among 10 million rural people in the next six years. The aim is to make rural people skilled.

August 17th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is set to start a Master's programme in philanthropy so that trained people work for "the destitute, orphans, streetchildren, social outcaste, leprosy-affected and physically challenged". The largest open university of the world has admitted 20 students who will get educated more on face-to-face mode rather than its traditional distance learning mode in Master in Social Work (Philanthropy), a press statement said Monday.

July 6th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Impressed by its excellence in education and plans for further expansion, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee Monday allocated Rs.500 million to the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). The Union Budget 2009-10 proposals said that IGNOU, which has been in the forefront of distance education, has been provided an allocation of Rs.900 million that also includes Rs.400 million for grants to state open universities.

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - In a unique initiative, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) will start 100 community colleges to educate underprivileged students using the unutilised capacities of educational institutions across the country. The scheme will be launched by Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Kapil Sibal Saturday and the colleges will commence their courses from the coming academic session, the varsity said Friday.

July 2nd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government Thursday approved payment of $239.93 million to the South Asian University, which is scheduled to begin functioning in the national capital from 2010. The union cabinet Thursday approved payment of $239.93 million to the varsity, which is around 79 percent of the total cost of the full establishment of the University until 2014.

May 28th, 2009 MELBOURNE - Australian police Thursday arrested two teenagers over the beating of an Indian student on a Melbourne train, a media report said. Sourabh Sharma, 21, was beaten by a group of thugs as he travelled on a train May 9, HeraldSun reported.

December 27th, 2008 NEW DELHI - Enrolment at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is estimated to cross two million by January 2009, the university said Sunday. The current percentage of enrolment amounts over 15 percent of the entire higher education enrolment in the country.