IGNOU launches ‘Swayam Prabha’ channel-based educational programmes in Manipuri

NEW DELHI: Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) launches Swayam Prabha channel, a group of 40 DTH channels, that telecasts educational programmes on 24X7 basis using the GSAT-15 satellite. The minister of state for external affairs and education, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, launched the channel-based counselling in Manipuri.

More than 700 students, educationists, media persons, vice-chancellor and pro-vice chancellors of IGNOU, and other senior officers were present on the event to promote Manipuri language.

The programme was transmitted live on “Swayam Prabha” channel of the university and social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook.

The decision to include Manipuri was taken for learners who prefer to be taught in their own mother tongue. The university informed that new content will be broadcast at least four hours every day which will be repeated five times a day for the convenience of students.

Speaking on the occasion, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh said: “The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasizes on teaching in the mother tongue and the initiative of IGNOU in channel-based teaching in the mother tongue is seen as a major intervention in this direction.

He said that the “inauguration of channel-based counselling in Manipuri language will open up opportunities of education in mother tongue for the large population of Manipuri diaspora living in other parts of the world”.

Nageshwar Rao, vice-chancellor of IGNOU, said: “Multilingualism is being promoted by IGNOU as per the mandate of NEP 2020 and University has been focusing in a big way for developing content in different languages.”

The pro-vice chancellors of IGNOU, Shrikant Mohapatra and Uma Kanjilal, also informed about the initiatives taken in this direction.