JEDDAH: The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has seen over 2,500 students enroll on its various courses at its centers in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam.
Students enrolled with the New Delhi-based university that provides distance education in a number of subjects at various levels have also won gold medals for the fourth successive year.
Adding to IGNOU Saudi Arabia's achievements was the ceremony held earlier this week when it was honored with the best international partner institute award at the IGNOU convocation held in New Delhi.
"Our achievements of today are but the sum total of our thoughts and the hard work of yesterday and most important the strategic planning to develop ourselves and outreach the students with quality education," said Riaz Mulla, who received a gold medal on behalf of IGNOU Saudi Arabia.
Educational Consulting and Guidance Services, the official representative of IGNOU, came into existence in 2004 with only 67 students on its rolls.
"Today there are more than 2,500 students, 70 percent of them girls, studying various programs in IGNOU's three networking centers of Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. We have been providing students an enriching environment at our study centers with a multimedia learning system comprising print study materials, videos, online educational channels and Internet-based learning. These centers are functioning with the support of the Indian diplomatic mission and the international division of IGNOU," he added.
Aside from Bachelors, Masters and other professional courses, IGNOU offers certificate and diploma programs in social science, English, tourism, education, computing and business management.
IGNOU Saudi Arabia, which has been in the Kingdom for the last six years, has proved its credentials by receiving the best International Partner Institute award from among its institutes in 33 countries.
Professor S.K. Joshi, the chief guest at the 21st IGNOU convocation, gave away the special award for the best partner institute to Mulla along with a gold medal to him and another gold medal Shahmida Mohammed for attaining the highest marks in the Masters English program.
"We are the only partner institute whose students have received four gold medals in masters program in English consecutively for the last four years and additionally two gold medals each in postgraduate diploma in financial management in 2006 and BA in English in 2008," Mulla added.
By K.S. RAMKUMAR
© Arab News 2010
