IGNOU confers 11 lakh certificates to personnel of Army, Air Force

NEW DELHI: The Indira Gandhi National Open University ( IGNOU) has so far conferred over 11 lakh certificates to personnel of the Army and the Indian Air Force for completing their courses in different levels.

Out of the total 11,28,754 certificates issued, 1,413 graduation certificates have been issued by the university under vertical mobility scheme, said Manjulika Srivastava, Director of IGNOU's Defence Unit.

The IGNOU has the mandate to train defence personnel under project 'Gyandeep' for soldiers of the Indian Army and 'Akashdeep' for airmen of the IAF which would help them land in a promising job post retirement.

"IGNOU recognises the achievements of defence personnel in their service, equate such work to IGNOU standards, transfers the credit and suggests them to take up courses based on that for a lateral entry," Srivastava said.

The scheme became operational in 2009 when the IGNOU signed MoUs with the Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy for 'Gyandeep', 'Akashdeep' and 'Sagardeep' respectively.

However, Sagardeep was not so successful as there were not many applicants, said a varsity official.