Education is the process of development: Minister

SHIVADEEP RAI
Gangtok: Eighty eight students of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Regional Centre at 5th mile, Gangtok, were among the 546 students registered at the Centre who received their degrees/diplomas in person at the 19th IGNOU Convocation held here on February 16 for successful completion of their respective academic programmes through distance learning from IGNOU.
Certificates were given to the students by Mr. GM Gurung, Minister for Human Resource Development Department, Government of Sikkim, who was guest of honour at the Convocation. Out of the 88 students, 81 received degrees for completion of B.Ed. and the rest for various other academic programmes like MCA, M.Com, BCA, and PGDCA. Most of the students of IGNOU Regional Centre, Gangtok, out of 546 students, who were conferred degree/diploma, were school teachers.The Convocation was held simultaneously at 38 Regional Centres of the University through teleconferencing mode via Satellite. The Vice President of India, Mr. M Hamid Ansari, as chief guest attended the Convocation at IGNOU Head Quarter in New Delhi.
Mr. Gurung in his address said, “Education is the process of development”. He said: “The people of present era are more advanced and developed than their predecessors due to education. Education is the factor which enhances human capability and development of human beings should be the aim of education and economic development. Students are the future of our nation. So they should be dealt with utmost care and caution”. He further said, education is meant for arousing inner strength and confidence and advised the teachers (who received degrees) to see that their students develop confidence, inner strength and potential to face the challenges in life. “Teachers are the major support of the students rather than quality school or class room”, he observed. He suggested that plans and policies of education should be drawn considering the existing standard of school education. “Education is globally accepted as the medium of physical and mental development”, Mr. Gurung noted.
“Education for all” is the main motto of IGNOU, Dr Ila Das, Regional Director of IGNOU, Gangtok Centre, said in her address. She informed that IGNOU is meant for providing education to all the people basically people from rural and isolated sectors, regardless of age, sex and geographical location. “INGOU provides provision for earning while learning, since the education in IGNOU is not confined to class room”, she noted. She maintained that IGNOU is one of the leading universities of the country in distance education and has made a breakthrough in the field by introducing video conference learning system.
She pointed out, “23 percent of education facilities in entire India is from IGNOU”. IGNOU has also extended its centres in 38 countries outside India, she informed.

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