New Delhi: As higher education regulation moves towards the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan framework and India works towards a gross enrolment ratio (GER) of 50% by 2035, Indira Gandhi National Open University (Ignou) has flagged “open and distance learning as indispensable” to meeting the scale the system is being asked to deliver. The country’s largest university is preparing an end-to-end digital shift, anchored in a “one app for everything” model and a sweeping mother-tongue expansion that aims to offer teaching, examinations and certification in 22 Indian languages. Ignou is also overhauling examinations, counselling, skills education and international outreach, with automation positioned as the core enabler.
Vice-chancellor Uma Kanjilal, the first woman to head Ignou, said regulatory consolidation could ease long-standing operational complexity for open universities. “Now for some programmes you have to go to AICTE, for some to UGC, for some NCTE. Once all are under one umbrella, life is easier,” she said, arguing that the GER expansion at the national level is not possible through physical campuses alone. “If that is not adopted properly, the numbers you are talking about cannot be reached,” she said, referring to ODL and online learning.A central focus of the reform push is the examination and evaluation system, which Kanjilal described as the university’s biggest challenge. “The answer is only one word — automation,” she said, pointing to delays, lack of tracking and the loss of answer scripts. Ignou has introduced spot evaluation in the current session and is planning a shift to on-screen evaluation from the June examination cycle, with regional centres expected to play a larger role as evaluation hubs. “With automation, there will be complete monitoring and control,” she said, adding that the internal target is to eliminate grievance delays linked to evaluation.On student services, the university is moving towards an integrated digital ecosystem covering admissions, learning support, assignments, projects and assessment. “All student support should be happening on that app. We are building it,” the VC said. An online assignment and project management system, allowing students to upload work digitally and enabling central monitoring of evaluation, is expected to be rolled out shortly.Language expansion is another pillar of Ignou’s roadmap. Under an MoU with Odisha govt, course material is being translated into Odia, with about 400 courses targeted in the current phase. Kanjilal said the shift would go beyond translation. “It’s a complete process. The student can give the examination in Odia, evaluation will be done by Odia counsellors and even the certificate will be in the regional language,” she said. Ignou plans to cover at least 12 Indian languages in two years and all 22 scheduled languages in three to four years.The university has also secured 50 television channels to conduct centrally monitored counselling and live classes, supplementing online delivery and addressing last-mile connectivity gaps. At the same time, Ignou is restructuring programmes to embed skills and employability, supported by a tie-up with the ministry of skill development. With about 39 lakh students on its rolls and roughly 15 lakh admissions each year, Kanjilal said scaling up would depend on system strength. “If we automate, go digital and bring in market-relevant skills, the numbers will increase,” she said, underscoring the role Ignou expects to play in India’s GER expansion.
