Guru Mantra: Dr. Ananya Guha, IGNOU

Dr. Ananya Guha
Joint Director
IGNOU, New Delhi

RC. Can you please share your professional experiences?
AG. I work in the Indira Gandhi National Open University in its newly established Institute For Vocational Education And Training in Shillong in North East India. Prior to that I have worked in the same University i.e. IGNOU in various capacities- Asst Regional Director, Regional Director and Joint Director. Before joining IGNOU as an academic administrator I was lecturer, senior lecturer and Head Dept. Of English St. Edmund's College Shillong. I hold a PhD in English Literature; on the novels of William Golding.I am a published poet( writing and publishing for the last twenty four years) but have specific interests in education and continuing education. My varied interests from poetry, CSR to Distance Education, traditional teaching and vocational education enables me to see life in better perspectives and as a complex whole challenge induced in the field of education and creativity- education is a creative force, we are not able to unleash its creative potential.


RC. What excites you about your role as Joint Director at Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU)? What are some of the new initiatives/projects you are engaged with?
AG. The entire work in the Indira Gandhi National Open University is fraught with manifold challenges. Beginning with the precept to reach out to learners, provide support services to them, to training Academic Counsellors, and designing course material are services which are not only exciting but didactic in concern especially in a country with a rural base, and disparate levels of socio economic development. As Officer On Special Special Duty in IGNOU's newly established vocational centre the challenges become even more stupendous in the sense that there is collaboration with governmental and non governmental agencies, sharing and giving ideas, and also re appraising vocational education, in a manner which will give it a fresh outlook. Hence the emphasis is on skills development, upgradation, prior or pre required learning etc. The target groups for vocational education are being carefully but clearly earmarked: educated unemployed, drop outs, domestic workers, street children, differently abled people etc. For example if we have a training programme on communication skills and computer literacy for educated people it may not hold much water, but if we are doing it for domestic workers it has much wider social and economic implications. Right now we are conducting in collaboration with an NGO a communication skills, IT Literacy training programme for domestic workers.


RC. What are the top two policy changes India needs to implement so that distance education sector gains greater credibility from the stakeholders?
AG. Distance Education must radicalize teaching and learning cosmology, by blended learning- adopt technological intervention in the traditional classroom. Further distance education and ' open ' education go hand in hand. Openness in education means amenability to change, and adopting a judicious mix of technology and face to face interface. When Caxton invented the printing press it set forth the methodology for Distance Education just as the computer is doing today.
Secondly distance education must integrate ALL forms of technology: print, (which I augment as a critical form of technology) audio video, computer, mobile, FM/ Community Radio.
However to pin point two definite policy changes to make distance education a holistic reality we must firstly take its techniques to the school- ICT must be applied, beginning with school education. Secondly we must reduce examination obsession with continuous evaluation in a flexible manner using the best of technology. Children must be encouraged to blog- showing them its power, creativity and potential for writing and answering questions in forms of blogs. By continuous evaluation I do not mean' tests' but activity based, problem solving exercises.

RC. What are major trends and opportunities you are witnessing in eLearning domain in India?
AG. The major trends in e learning are the advent of video casting, podcasting, community radio, mobile alerts, audio video conferencing etc. Electronic Learning is not only synonymous with Internet learning but also embracing the different forms of technology including the radio which has made a remarkable comeback. It must be used vigorously for educational purposes. Also e governance plans, vocational education are emerging as priority challenges and the Common Services Centres are augmenting a holistic view of education- health, IT, economic services, business transaction et al. The Common Services Centres and allied village community centres must be focal points for education, services and dissemination of information. The Telecentre movement must be kept in mind as a success story model, in East Africa.