Bhubaneswar : The higher education department is planning to introduce short-term certificate courses on skill development for undergraduate and postgraduate students of the state. It is scheduled to start these courses in different degree colleges with the help of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), official sources said.
The officials of IGNOU made a presentation on the same to higher education secretary Bishnupada Sethi. The government expressed willingness to start the programme, said an IGNOU officer.
S K Panigrahi, the assistant director of the Bhubaneswar regional centre of IGNOU, said they wanted to introduce the short-term certificate courses to give add-on skills to students while they pursued their college education.
“We will pay the teachers for teaching our course material. Students will get course materials from us while taking admission. The courses will not hamper normal college routine. We will arrange for classes to be held on Sundays to avoid clash with regular courses,” he added.
According to the plan, Ignou will provide these six-month courses in all degree colleges. The fee will range from Rs 1,500 to Rs 4,000. Scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students can enrol for the courses without paying any admission fee, said Panigrahi.
He said the University Grants Commission guidelines allow a student to enrol for short-term certificate courses on skill development. Such students can cater to the needs of the job market after completion of his/her degree, he added.
IGNOU has already started these courses in Rajasthan. “We want to start them in Odisha for the benefit of the students. Our university offers 69 certificate courses. Courses on NGO management, beauty and wellness, rural management, organic farming, dairy farming, bee keeping and IT will help students get a job easily or start a business,” he added.
Higher education secretary Sethi said the state government was pleased to start the programme in colleges with the help of IGNOU.
Note: News shared for public awareness with reference from the information provided at online news portals.
