MUMBAI: The headquarters of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) will soon have its own community radio which shall serve listeners under the radius of 8 to 10 kilometers. It will broadcast issues pertaining to rational thinking, gender issues and various other situations that can be brought forward for the community welfare.
The announced was made during the three-day national seminar, beginning from 27 December on ‘Radio and Equitable Education to all’ in the convention centre at the IGNOU headquarters, organized by the Distance Education Programme- Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (DEP-SSA), which is an IGNOU-MHRD initiative, in collaboration with UNICEF, National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) and Commonwealth of Learning (COL).
Sri Lanka Open University vice chancellor Vijitha Nanayyakara, during his speech, said, “India is far ahead of Sri Lanka in the utilization of radio in education. Sri Lanka is in the process of using radio as new distance learning initiative. The Sri Lankan Broadcasting Corporation had started educational programmes for the school curriculum through local TV which has been a great success. Radio is comparatively a more cost-effective medium which can impart education at primary and secondary level.”
IGNOU former pro vice-chancellor Parvin Sinclair said, “We can send some devices to the people with special needs. For example, people with severe problem of osteoporosis, radio can be a wonderful medium since it can be placed near the person. Community radio is another initiative that can be utilized for the welfare of the masses.”
IGNOU vice-chancellor Gopinath Pradhan while inaugurating the seminar stated that, “Radio is one of our important tools to reach the unreached. A rural place that has no infrastructure, electricity or transport system stands connected through the medium of radio.”
DEP-SSA project director CB Sharma stated that, “While employing media and technology in education, two things operate- one is the engineering side and the other is the pedagogic side. Often the focus shifts to the hardware and technology when information and communication technologies are employed in education. The teacher and content are put to the backburner. The content is important and the teacher needs to be at the centre-stage.”
The first day of the seminar addressed various themes like, dealing with special needs children, radio technology in teaching learning, radio programmes in different states, teaching of foreign language through radio, radio and teacher training, etc.