An newsletter from SSC - IGNOUignou.ac.in/userfiles/final News letter.pdf · programme. As a part...
Transcript of An newsletter from SSC - IGNOUignou.ac.in/userfiles/final News letter.pdf · programme. As a part...
Vol. 1 Aug. 2016-Aug.2017
An enewsletter from SSC
Student Service Centre Indira Gandhi National Open University
New Delhi-110068
ASHRAY An e- News Letter from SSC
Contents:
• About SSC
• Face to face Pre-admission Counselling
• Admission Counselling on Gyan Vani • Student Grievance Redressal Week • Student Support at SSC
• Computer Training
• Workshop on Communication Skills
• Training Series: RTI MIS Online Portal • Constitution of Hindi Committee
• Sensitization Workshop Series: in dealing with PwDs and the Elderly
• In-house Workshop Series
• Inauguration of Science Centre • Science Centre Coordinating Group Meetings
• SSC at the 30th Convocation
• Admission Counselling: MBA, BSc(N), BEd
Vol.1 Aug. 2016-Aug.2017
Editor: Dr. Bini Toms
Content Coordination Committee
Chairperson: Dr. Bini Toms, Director Members: Dr. Yasmin, AD
Dr. Bir Abhimanyu K., AD
Mr. Sunder Singh, AR
Mr. S.B. Thapa, SO
Mr. Harish Kumar, PA
Secretarial Support: All SSC staff
ASHRAY An e- News Letter from SSC
Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system
is said to be more learner-centric than the
conventional system. In other words, the
system is oriented towards the need of the
learners; the learners being our main focus.
Moreover, the phenomenal growth of
IGNOU, both horizontal and vertical, has
brought in its trail some issues, problems
and causes of concern for the learners.
While every Regional Centre and Study
Centre, provides support to the learners, it
was felt that a Centre should be created at
IGNOU headquarters dedicated solely for
the purpose of providing learner support in
the form of attending to their queries,
grievances and if necessary helping them
out with suitable guidance and counselling.
It was also felt that there should be an
exclusive space at the University
headquarters where the learners would get
an opportunity to meet their peers and if
necessary, the faculty. In view of above, the
Student Service Centre was established in
the year 1999 and was dedicated to the
memory of IGNOU's Founder Vice-
Chancellor, Late Prof. G. Ram Reddy.
Vision of Student Service Centre
SSC envisions an effective grievance
redressal network of IGNOU to achieve
‘Zero Grievance’ and ‘Absolute Student
Satisfaction’.
Student Grievance Redressal Network of IGNOU
SED &
SRD
SSC
H
E
L
P
D
E
S
K
A
T
R
C
sACD/ADMN./
OTHERS
SCHOOLS
Towards Zero Grievance
RSD
Fax
Letters
RTI MIS
Portal
PG Portal
(CPGRAMS)
UGC
Online
Grievance
PortalNational
Scholarship
Portal
Phone calls
Face to face
IGNOU
Portal
(iGRAM)
S
F
C
s
a
t
S
C
s
INGRAM
Mission of Student Service Centre
The Student Service Centre (SSC), located
at IGNOU headquarters, is an interface
between the learner and the University.
SSC strives to provide the right information
at the right time, to facilitate and provide
support services for the divergent learner
population, to redress grievances at every
stage and thus tries to bridge the gap
between the organization and the learner.
Queries and grievances are received at SSC
through various modes, namely, by fax,
post, in person, e-mails/SMS, telephone
calls, whatsapp and on-line Portals.
Besides the Public Grievance Portal and
the UGC Online Student Grievance Portal,
SSC has started handling the RTI-MIS
Portal, Online Admission Grievances,
National Scholarship Portal, Delhi Govt.
Scholarship Portal, INGRAM, iGRAM and
Delhi Govt. Public Grievance Monitoring
System, as the Nodal Unit in coordination
with various Divisions/Schools/Centres at
IGNOU.
ASHRAY An e- News Letter from SSC
SSC offers pre admission and post
admission Support Services including Sale
of Students Handbook & Prospectus for
various programmes of the University. The
Centre also provides support on different
academic issues to learners/prospective
learners including career counselling and
guidance when required.
SSC constantly tries to address the causes
and consequences of student grievances
and works with the motto of maintaining
‘zero grievance’ and advancing a culture of
safety, transparency and justice; thereby
trying to improve student experience and
satisfaction.
For the Student Service Centre, the priority
is not just disposing off the grievances but
going into the depth of the student problem
and trying to resolve it to the satisfaction of
the student. For the same, regular
initiatives are taken (lectures/workshops))
to create sensitization among staff about
organizational and work ethics so as to
prevent turning of an enquiry into
grievance, encourage teamwork spirit and
handholding and going that extra mile for
the students.
Proactive and regular follow ups are made
with Schools/Regional Centres/Divisions
concerned through emails and telephone
calls for attending to student
queries/grievances in order to ensure
‘minimum average disposal time’. Nodal
persons have been identified at each
Regional Centre/School/Division, thereby
establishing/strengthening linkages in the
Grievance Redressal Network of the
University. As a result of effective
coordination with the Schools, Divisions,
Cells and Units, IGNOU is steadily moving
towards attaining ‘zero grievance’.
Initiatives/Activities by SSC to Provide
Effective Support Services to Learners
• Face to Face Pre-admission
Counselling is conducted by SSC to
familiarize and guide the
prospective learners about the
procedures involved before and
after enrolment into an IGNOU
programme.
As a part of the ongoing process to
facilitate learners, Pre-admission
Counselling was conducted by SSC
on 01.12.2016 to familiarize and
guide the prospective learners
about the procedures involved
before and after enrolment into an
IGNOU programme. For the same, a
Ready Reckoner was also prepared
and distributed to students.
ASHRAY An e- News Letter from SSC
• For redressal of grievances and
counselling of enrolled students,
Student Grievance Redressal Week
was organized with participation from
RSD, SED, SRD, MPDD and the Schools
from 19-23rd September 2016. Large
number of students benefitted from this
opportunity created by the University.
ASHRAY An e- News Letter from SSC
• Counselling activity has been planned in
a bigger way and is now taking place
regularly through Gyan Vani also. Every
month Preadmission Counselling is
carried out by resource persons from
SSC at Gyan Vani. Officials from RSD,
SED, SRD are also invited from time to
time.
• Slide show on the various support services and programmes offered by the different Schools of Study is regularly played at the front building of SSC for information to visitors and prospective learners. Information brochures of Schools are also displayed for visitors.
• Personalized support and handholding for IGNOU learners and visitors: SSC provides guidance for filling of various forms and provides the requisite forms like admission, examination, credit transfers, re-registration, re-evaluation, change of name, change of address etc. to students. Staff at SSC also try to provide personalized assistance and prompt and instant information to students by using social network tools like whatsapp, SMS, mobile/telephone calls, e-mails etc.
• SSC also functions as the single window for the different scholarships of the University.
• Lost and Found Box: Several students and general aspirants visit SSC on daily basis and it is observed that at times visitors forget their belongings at the SSC premises. To ensure safe delivery of lost items to the concerned, SSC maintains a ‘Lost and Found Box’.
• Feedback/Suggestions/Comments Box: SSC has a provision for Feedback/Suggestions/Comments form for visitors which encourages the learners to write their views and drop the same into the dedicated drop box. If the feedback pertains to Schools or other Divisions or Centres, the same is forwarded to the concerned for their perusal.
ASHRAY An e- News Letter from SSC
Trainings and Workshops for Capacity
Building of Staff to Provide Efficient and
Effective Support Services to Learners
• SSC organizes trainings and workshops
for capacity building of staff so that they
are able to provide efficient and
effective support services to learners. A
Computer training programme for the
staff of SSC was held on 01.09.2016
with resource persons from the
Computer Division.
• A Workshop on developing
communication skills with special
focus on handling student related
queries and grievances, was held at SSC
for SSC staff on 24.08.2016. Officials
from RSD, P&DD and Schools were the
resource persons.
ASHRAY An e- News Letter from SSC
• SSC has initiated the conduct of
training programmes in coordination
with DOPT on the use of RTI MIS
Online Portal for IGNOU officials. So
far, two training programmes on the
use of RTI MIS Online Portal for six
CPIOs each on 14.12.2016 and
12.05.2017 at DoPT, Lok Nayak
Bhawan, New Delhi have been
arranged by SSC. As per feedback the
trainings were quite fruitful.
• SSC has also initiated a sensitization
workshop series in conjunction with
the National Centre for Disabilities
Studies (NCDS) with the first in the
series held on 27.03.2017. The aim of
this initiative was to sensitize and
educate employees in dealing with
PwDs and the Elderly so as to provide
effective support services to them.
Representatives from various Divisions
at headquarters and RCs of Delhi-NCR,
participated in the programme.
ASHRAY An e- News Letter from SSC
• A Hindi Committee was constituted
at SSC on 22.05.2017 for taking up
initiatives for sensitization and
education on the use of Hindi as an
official language.
• From January 2017 onwards, SSC
has started in-house workshop
series on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays
of every month, for capacity
building of SSC staff and to acquaint
each team member of the overall
functioning of SSC.
• SSC is the coordinating unit for the
Science Centre, established on
IGNOU Campus by Agastya
International Foundation under
IGNOU-AIF MoU signed on
18.01.2017. The Science Centre aims
at providing hands on science
experience and exposure to
children, especially those from govt.
schools and the community around
IGNOU campus. IGNOU has
collaborated in this activity as part
of its social responsibility. The
Science Centre was inaugurated
on the occasion of IGNOU’s
foundation day on 19.11.2017 by
the Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Prof.
Ravindra Kumar.
ASHRAY An e- News Letter from SSC
• As the Convenor of the coordinating
group of the Science Centre,
meetings are regularly conducted by
SSC to take stock of the activities
carried out by the Science Centre
and to suggest ways to enhance
effectiveness of its activities.
• To give the SSC staff and visitors
food for thought on professional
ethics and moral values and for a
feeling of inclusiveness, a dedicated
board for thought for the day has
been identified. This board is also
used to write a word in Hindi (Aaj
ka shabd) with meaning in English,
for the benefit of all.
ASHRAY An e- News Letter from SSC
• As always, SSC took active part in
the 30th Convocation also; providing
effective student support services
and handholding the learners
wherever required.
The Hon’ble Vice Chancellor, Prof.
Ravindra Kumar at the SSC stall
(Exhibition venue) on the occasion of the
30th Convocation of IGNOU
SSC facilitates students during Convocation
• Admission Counselling was
conducted on 08/08/2017 for the
students aspiring for MBA, BSc (N)
and B.Ed. from IGNOU. Students
turned out in huge numbers and
made use of the opportunity.
Faculty from SOMS, SOHS and SOE
along with resource persons from
RSD, SRD and SSC contributed to
making the programme a huge
success.