Karnataka State Open University Aims For Top Slot

Karnataka State Open University (KSOU), established in 1996 under the aegis of a state enactment, aims to bag the first position in open learning by reaching the doorsteps of students, not only in Karnataka but across the country and the world.

On a recent visit to Delhi, KS Rangappa, vice chancellor, KSOU, tells us about how the varsity hopes to achieve this goal:

What is the driving aim of KSOU?
Our goal at KSOU is to reach the unreachable and provide higher education to everyone, everywhere.
We want to be known not only nationally but also internationally. For this, we are improving in terms of quality, infrastructure and are also increasing the number of programmes offered. For now, we aim at grabbing the first position, which is presently held by IGNOU.

How do you plan to achieve this goal?
We have been making collaborations with various universities, not only in the country but abroad, as well. At present, we have almost 85-90 collaborators all over the world including with institutions in Virginia, Mexico and Colombo.

Tell us more about the programmes offered at KSOU.
We have 72 programmes in all, including certificate courses in seed production (CSP), solid waste management (CSWM), processing and value addition to fruits and vegetables (CPVFV), panchayat raj (CPR), custom hiring, repair and maintenance of agricultural machineries (CCHR and MAM) etc

What is the profile of the students studying in your college?
We have employees, freshers, housewives etc studying in our college. We can say that 60% students are employees while almost 40% are freshers. Also, few politicians are enrolled in our college and almost 8,000 students are enrolled for MBAs, 6000 for MCom and 1000 for BEd. Apart from these, MA psychology, LLM, and environmental management are amongst other courses that have a big number of students enrolled in them.

Do you provide any support services to students of your college?
Yes, we have online counseling to help students whenever they need help. We care for our students and also have campus placements, which help students to get jobs in their desired fields.

Why should one join KSOU to get education through open learning?
We have good infrastructure, nice faculty who try to give the best possible quality education, very good collaborators. Most importantly, we are the oldest open-distance-learning (ODL) system. We slowly but gradually plan to spread all over the world.

How do you assure students that they are being imparted the best quality education?
We follow guidelines laid out by all the educational bodies (UGC, NCT etc) so that students after completion of their respective courses are not left in the lurch. We also have the best expertise and faculty, which tries to impart education to students. And, because of our dedicated efforts, we have students from our college who have become lecturers, commissioners and civil servants etc.


Source: HT-Horizons