The Higher Education Department of Odisha has partnered with the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi, to launch a wide range of academic programmes in the Odia language to promote regional language in higher education.
Under this MoU, IGNOU will offer undergraduate, postgraduate, diploma, certificate, and professional courses – including BBA, MBA, and travel and tourism management — in Odia across the state. The initiative aims to make higher education more accessible by removing language barriers, especially for students more comfortable learning in their mother tongue.
Also Read: Scaler welcomes Abhinav Vijayvargiya as CFO
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Odisha’s Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj highlighted the move as a step towards inclusive education, aligning with the National Education Policy’s emphasis on regional languages. He added that this initiative would help reduce dropout rates, nurture student creativity, and improve the state’s gross enrolment ratio in higher education.
The event saw the presence of key dignitaries, including Higher Education Secretary Arvind Agarwal, Special Secretary Ramakant Nayak, IGNOU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Uma Kanjilal, and Registrar Dr. Alok Chaubey.
