Andhra Pradesh

IGNOU ventures into new territory

From Diploma in Community Cardiology to a course in value-added products from fruits to vegetables, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has diversified its academic programmes offered to the student community in 2006.

The Community Cardiology course is being offered from January. This programme has been developed in collaboration with Narayana Hrudayalaya, Bangalore.

Other leading cardiologists from apex cardiac hospitals, including Care Foundation Hospital Hyderabad, Escorts Heart Institute, Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences, Thiruvananthapuram, G. Kuppuswamy Memorial Hospital, Coimbatore, Omega Hospital Mangalore and others from Kolkata and Mumbai are participating in the implementation of the programme.

This programme has been developed to create essential knowledge and skills regarding non-invasive cardiology and equip MBBS doctors to manage common cardiovascular diseases effectively in urban and semi-urban areas of the country.

Eligibility is MBBS (MCI-recognised). Admission will be done at IGNOU regional centres/programme study centres (select hospitals) across the country.

Dairy farming

Dairy farming awareness for cattle breeders is a new programme from IGNOU in the coming academic year. Self-learning instructional material with multimedia and face-to-face counselling support will be provided. There is no formal qualification for this programme. The duration of the programme is two months. Cattle breeders will be trained though multimedia with 14 units (books) prepared by IGNOU in collaboration with Ministry of Rural Development.

Value addition

A diploma in value-added products from fruits and vegetables is another new programme offered by the university in 2006. The programme is essentially a judicious mix of theoretical and practical courses to develop skills in post-harvest management and value-addition of fruits and vegetables. The duration of the course is one year.

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