
Prof. Uma Kanjilal has been officially appointed as the Vice Chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), becoming the first woman to ever lead the institution since its inception in 1985. The university made the announcement on Thursday, July 25, 2025, marking exactly one year since she stepped in as the Acting Vice Chancellor on the same date in 2024.
With an illustrious career spanning over 36 years in the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system, Prof. Uma has held several pivotal academic and administrative positions at IGNOU. Before assuming the top post, she served as Pro Vice Chancellor from March 2021 to July 2024, playing a vital role in shaping the university’s digital and academic roadmap.
Prof. Kanjilal has previously helmed key institutional bodies such as:
- Centre for Online Education
- Inter-University Consortium for Technology-Enabled Flexible Education
- Advanced Centre for Informatics and Innovative Learning
- School of Social Sciences
As a Professor of Library and Information Science since 2003, she is widely recognised for her significant contributions to digital education, e-learning, and ICT integration in libraries. Her efforts have been central to advancing online learning platforms in India.
She is currently the National Coordinator for SWAYAM and SWAYAM PRABHA, two flagship initiatives of the Ministry of Education, Government of India, aimed at expanding equitable access to online and televised education across the country.
In a statement released on Friday, IGNOU hailed her appointment as a “historic milestone,” emphasizing that Prof. Kanjilal brings a unique combination of academic leadership, technological expertise, and deep institutional experience to the role.
Her global academic exposure includes being a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1999–2000), and she has also worked with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Jordan, adding valuable international perspective to her leadership.
Prof. Uma Kanjilal’s elevation to Vice Chancellor is being celebrated as a powerful step forward for gender representation, academic innovation, and inclusive leadership in higher education.
