The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) on Thursday inaugurated newly constructed buildings at four regional centres – Jodhpur, Aizawl, Rajkot, and Trivandrum – through a virtual ceremony held at Shastri Bhawan.

K Sanjay Murthy, Secretary, Higher Education and Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, School Education, Government of India were present during the inauguration event, the university said in a press statement.

Murthy said facilities at these Regional Centres would enable a broader outreach of higher education to the aspiring youth of the respective states and lauded the role played by IGNOU in the three years since the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, IGNOU said.

School Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar praised IGNOU for taking quality education to the doorsteps of marginalised sections of the society, it added.

In his welcome address, Prof. Nageshwar Rao, Vice-Chancellor, IGNOU highlighted the importance of embracing educational technology in the realm of Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and Online education pedagogies, emphasizing its significance for IGNOU in reaching the unreached.

The regional centres at these four places will meet the educational aspirations of deprived sections, particularly people residing in rural areas besides SC, ST, OBC and women, he added.