THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the Sree Narayana Guru Open University (SGOU) marks its third anniversary on Monday, the varsity has planned further innovations to realise its objective of increasing the access of potential learners of all categories to higher education, research and training.
Speaking to TNIE about the varsity’s plans ahead, SGOU vice chancellor P M Mubarak Pasha said the university would devise a unique strategy for nurturing startups at the micro-level. A ‘cyber citizen’ programme aimed at imparting cyber literacy and awareness about cyber frauds to the common man is also in the pipeline, he said. The varsity also plans to further add innovative features to its Self-Learning Materials that are noted for their unique format of ‘illustrative narration’.
“A detailed prescription for the development of virtual content is in place. The varsity has prepared diverse electronic study material in the form of talk shows, documentaries and synchronous as well as asynchronous online materials,” Pasha said.
The varsity also had the rare distinction of completing its audit within two years of its inception without causing any financial liability to the government. This had found special mention in the audit report as well, the vice chancellor said. The university was officially launched by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on October 2, 2020, as the 15th state university.
In January 2021, the varsity received UGC recognition. Having been mandated to initiate the Open and Distance Learning programmes of other universities in Kerala, SGOU customised the undergraduate (UG) and post-graduate (PG) curriculum framework in February 2022.
“The framework deviated from the state format enabling a spread of diverse academic components. This was followed by other universities three years later in the context of the development of four-year UG programmes,” Pasha said.
The varsity’s first batch of learners was inducted in December 2022. A total of 6,494 learners were on the roll in the year 2022-23.
The varsity is offering 12 UG and 10 PG programmes in the current academic year and the enrollment is still open. As per the directives of the state government, the university has initiated its efforts for the transition to four year UG programme for which the curriculum was approved by the academic council last month.