Distance Learning from Netaji Subhas Open University (NSOU)

Established by the West Bengal Act XIX of 1997, the Netaji Subhas Open University (NSOU), was set up with an objective to spread higher education throughout the state and “reach the unreached” with quality education in the open distance learning (ODL) mode.

NSOU is the sole state open university of West Bengal and the largest one in India recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and Distance Education Council (DEC) of India. In 2006, the University received the Excellence in Distance Education Award (EDEA) for institutional achievement conferred by Commonwealth of Learning (COL), Vancouver, Canada. The University is also a member of the Association of India Universities (AIU), New Delhi, The Association of Asian Open University (AAOU), Malaysia and The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU), United Kingdom.


With nearly 2,50,000 students enrolled, NSOU has achieved a mega-university status. The university provides higher education through the distance learning mode in the language of the state, i.e. Bengali, and makes education affordable to the disadvantaged.

Netaji Subhas Open University offers various programmes like undergraduate (three years), postgraduate (two years), postgraduate diploma (one year), diploma (one year), certificate (six months) and vocational programmes (six months, one year and two years). At present, the University conducts 77 courses. There are two-second degree programmes. These include bachelor's in library science (BLIS, one year) and B Ed (special education) for two years.

Recently, three Village Knowledge Centres (VKC) have been set up at the Shanti Devi Vidyaniketan, Plassey, Nadia, Nari Siksha Samiti, Jhargram, Paschim Medinipur, and at the Anjali Social Welfare Research Foundation, Panskura, Purba Medinipur, in collaboration with non-government organisations for providing free computer and internet access to students.

Alumni Speak

From Howrah to a five-figure salary: Hailing from a poor family in Howrah, Ashis K Halder always had the will power to work hard and excel in every sphere of life. Soon after completing Class 12, he decided to take up a job to support his family. From 1986 to 1993, he worked in a non-banking financial institute as a field supervisor and gained experience in funding machinery and consumer durables. While earning to make ends meet was important, so was the need to educate himself further. It was then that he decided to enrol in a B.Com course offered by the Netaji Subhas Open University. “I would work during weekdays and attend classes conducted by the university over the weekends. The teachers were extremely helpful and would help out even late at night,” Halder says, adding “they understood that you needed to work as well as study and one could approach them anytime one wanted.” Asked if a distance learning qualification can be a handicap in procuring a good job, he says, “Job prospects are as bright as for those with regular degrees in related fields. Even a distance learning qualification is a valid degree. It ultimately depends on the capability and the will power of the student.”

Interestingly, Halder got his first big break after completing his B.Com from the university. It was in 1993 that he got an interview call for a job as an area accountant with a leading fertilisers firm. He was later promoted as the logistics officer with the responsibility to monitor 19 districts in the state. He is currently working as an officer, internal audit for the same company and earning a five-figure salary.

As told to Vandana Ramnani

What’s on offer

Contact Programmes

Under the ODL system, it is not mandatory to attend face-to-face classroom sessions for students. The University organises contact programme for all the courses at the designated study centres for the benefit of the students. For the vocational courses, the University has made it compulsory to attend practical classes.

Material Available

The University is headquartered at 1, Woodburn Park, Kolkata, and has a regional centre at Kalyani. It has a wide network of 120 study centres located all over West Bengal. The students can get admitted at the study centre nearest to their residence. The self-learning course material is distributed to students through the study centres of their choice. The university also organises counselling programmes (face-to-face teaching) for the students at these study centres. The evaluation process is in dual mode, one is continuous evaluation and the other is term-end examination. The students are awarded degrees on the basis of these two examinations.

Programmes Offered by NSOU
 

• Number of undergraduate programmes - 13 (Bengali, English, history, political science, sociology, public administration, commerce, mathematics, geography, botany, zoology, physics and chemistry)
• Professional courses: Undergraduate and postgraduate level - 3 (BCA, BLIS, specialisation in B.Ed for the physically challenged)
• Vocational courses: Number of courses - 30. These include certificate, diploma and postgraduate diploma courses. These are pre-primary teachers training, tailoring and dress designing, psychological counselling, travel and tourism, hospital front office management, taxation etc. The university has also launched job-oriented and skill oriented programmes in the current session. These include a diploma in safety skills and security management, diploma/certificate in automobiles, diploma in refrigeration and air-conditioning, diploma/certificate in plastic moulding and post diploma programmes in export-import management and operational skills and disaster management.
• Certificate Courses: 10 (Pre-Primary Teachers Training, English for communication, Bengali Language, Human Rights, Aqua Culture, Embroidery & Needlework (CEN), Cutting Tailoring & Dress Designing (CCTDD), Advanced Certificate Fashion, Embroidery and Textile Designing (ACFEFD), Advanced Certificate in Apparel Designing, Cutting & Tailoring (ACADCT), Advanced Certificate in Batik Printing & Designing (ACBPD)
   

Exam Centres

The study centres are the examination centres of the university. The students of one study centre write their final exam in other centres and not their regular one.

Admissions

The University publishes the admission notification in reputed dailies before the admission process begins. All the relevant information is made available on the University’s website: www.wbnsou.ac.in. Students can submit their admission form online. Admissions for the year 2022 are currently underway and students can apply for admissions on the official website of NSOU. 

Prospects after NSOU

The degree holders of the university get jobs in both the government as well as in the private sector. The existing workforce gets an opportunity to upgrade their skills by enrolling in courses at the university. The institute thus provides vertical mobility for the employed. There have been instances where students have been promoted in their companies after completing a course at the university. The private sector gets to hire skilled workforce directly from the institute without having to spend much time and effort in their training.

Straight from the head

The digital information revolution has opened up new vistas, altering how knowledge is shared. In this scenario, ODL is one of the rapidly growing medium of imparting education says Professor SS Sarkar, NSOU, Kolkata.