CNN Central News & Network–ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal : Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is pleased to share the prestigious announcement that Professor Uma Kanjilal has been appointed as the Vice Chancellor of the university. This appointment marks a historic moment in IGNOU’s history, as she becomes the first woman to hold this esteemed position. Professor Kanjilal had been serving as the Acting Vice Chancellor prior to this.

With over 36 years of rich experience in the field of open and distance learning, Prof. Kanjilal brings to the role a unique blend of academic leadership, digital innovation, and institutional expertise, and will now lead one of the largest open universities in the world.

Before assuming the role of Vice Chancellor, she served as the Pro-Vice Chancellor from March 2021 to July 2024. Her long-standing association with IGNOU includes several key leadership roles, such as:

Director, Centre for Online Education (2019–2021)

Director, Inter-University Consortium for Technology-Enabled Flexible Education (2016–2019)

Director, Advanced Centre for Informatics and Innovative Learning (2012–2013)

Director, School of Social Sciences (2007–2010)

University Librarian (2004–2006)

Prof. Kanjilal has been a Professor of Library and Information Science since 2003 and is nationally recognized in the fields of e-learning, IT applications in libraries, digital libraries, and multimedia content development.

Currently, she serves as the National Coordinator for the Ministry of Education’s flagship digital initiatives – SWAYAM and SWAYAM Prabha.

Prof. Kanjilal’s global contributions are equally noteworthy. She was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1999–2000), has provided consultancy services for the Commonwealth of Learning, and contributed to digital education projects for UNRWA in Jordan. Her honors include the Manthan Award for e-Education, Australia-India Council Grant, and the DANIDA Fellowship, among others.

Her work has been instrumental in strengthening IGNOU’s digital infrastructure and promoting online education. She was the Principal Investigator for the National Virtual Library of India Project and is currently the Project Coordinator of IGNOU’s unit under NMEICT Phase-III.

Her appointment comes at a pivotal time as IGNOU leads the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020, promoting inclusive, flexible, and technology-enabled education to support the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.

The Regional Centre of IGNOU, Bhopal, on behalf of all its members, extends heartfelt congratulations to Prof. Uma Kanjilal on her appointment to this prestigious role and looks forward to her visionary leadership in advancing academic excellence, digital transformation, and inclusive growth at the university.

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