IGNOU to power India-Africa Virtual University
NEW DELHI:The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) Wednesday announced details of a virtual university for Africa, a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promised such an institution at a summit in Addis Ababa. The proposal to establish the Indo-Africa Virtual University (IAVU) was initiated by the ministry of external affairs and IGNOU was mandated with formulating a proposal in consultation with the ministry of human resource development. "The mission of IAVU is to create conditions that ensure special priority to furthering Indo-African relations by establishing an educational link," said IGNOU Vice Chancellor V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai. IAVU, he explained, will ensure Africa-oriented educational programmes were developed effectively in focus areas and fields such as health sciences, vocational education, food and nutritional security, and gender empowerment. "IAVU will also augment the overall participation of African nations in the global educational deve...