GLOKALde October 2022, ISSN 2148-7278 Volume: 8 Number: 2, Article 5
EXPANDING SOCIAL BASE OF
INDIRA GANDHI NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY:
A STUDY OF ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS, INDIA
ABSTRACT
Indira Gandhi National Open University is a premier Open Distance Learning Institution with a pan-India network of Regional Centers and Learner Support Centers and offers various academic programmes at different levels– Certificate, Diploma, Post Graduate Diploma, Degree and Masters.The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Regional Centre has been playing a significant role as an extended arm of Regular Colleges in Andaman & Nicobar Islands This paper attempts to study the social base of learners in Port Blair Regional Center based on parameters like gender, area, category, employment, marital status etc.and is an attempt to understand the social base of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system in the Islands and suggest practical strategies to broaden its social base for inclusive growth and make it more accessible to the disadvantaged section of the society like Scheduled tribes, women and rural learners. The study found that based on the data, it can achieve the objectives in widening the social base and contributing to expanding quality higher educational opportunities in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.