UNESCO, recently, mentioned in a posting on its website that the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is the world's largest university with its student base extending to three million. Irina Bokova, UNESCO Director mentioned that enrollments of around three million students and the best use of ICT are accomplishments known world wide. The website also mentioned that with the launch of 'EduSat (a satellite dedicated to education) in 2004, and the establishment of the Inter-University Consortium, IGNOU has ushered in a new era of technology-enabled education.'
It added that IGNOU includes 21 schools of study, 59 regional centres, 2,300 learner support centres and some 52 overseas centres, the university offers certificate, diploma, degree and doctoral programmes, comprising around 1,500 courses. Fruthermore it was described on the website that the staff in IGNOU consisted of 380 faculty members and academic staff in headquarters and regional centres while some 36,000 counsellors from conventional institutions of higher learning and professionals from different spheres.
