News University - Kashmiri Academic Takes Over as V-C IGNOU

Professor Muhammad Aslam on Saturday took over as the new acting Vice-Chancellor of the prestigious Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). He is the first Kashmiri to be appointed to the coveted post. 

 Prof Aslam took over from Prof V N Rajasekharan Pillai, who completed his 5-year tenure today, at IGNOU headquarters in New Delhi, a spokesman of the varsity said in a statement.  

 Prof M Aslam hailing from Rajbagh Srinagar was instrumental in establishing IGNOU regional center in Srinagar. He had recently introduced diploma course in Panchayati Raj in the IGNOU programmes.

 Prof Aslam was serving IGNOU as a Director of the School of Continuing Education (SOCE) and Professor of Rural Development since 1992. He was also the Director for National Center for Innovations in Distance Education (NCIDE) of the university for over 3 years. 

 He has rich and varied experience both at national and international levels in University Administration, ICT, Communication and Extension, Distance and Continuing Education, Multi-Media in Distance Education, Training Methodology, Rural Development, Training skills, Monitoring and Evaluation, Panchayati Raj and Social Change. 

 In his 33-year long career he has spent nearly 8 years in foreign countries on international assignments. 

 He has been consultant to various international/ UN bodies including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, UNDP and EDI of the World Bank.

 He has worked as a Project Director for Panchayati Raj Project, developed a Multi-Media Distance Education package for Panchayati Raj functionaries elected throughout the country. The package was introduced among 58,000 elected functionaries of Panchayats in four selected districts of Madhya Pradesh and has been conferred COL President’s Award of Excellence at PAN Commonwealth Forum in March, 1999.

 Prof Aslam, 64, is an M.A. in Sociology with first division and second position (1973). He got his M.Phil in 1975 and Ph.D. (Sociology) in 1978.