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Uma Kanjilal was previously the acting Vice Chancellor at IGNOU and had served as Pro Vice Chancellor from March 2021 to July 2024.
Uma Kanjilal is a professor of Library and Information Science since 2003. (Image: X//uma_kanjilal)
Professor Uma Kanjilal has been named the first female Vice Chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), four decades after its inception, as per officials from the Ministry of Education. She was previously the acting Vice Chancellor at IGNOU and had served as Pro Vice Chancellor from March 2021 to July 2024.
Prof. Kanjilal started her career as a research assistant at IIT Kanpur in 1984. After this, she worked as a cataloguer and professional assistant at Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA). At IGNOU, she worked her way up from lecturer to professor. She held many positions including university librarian-in-charge, director of School of Social Sciences, director of Centre for Online Education.
A professor of Library and Information Science since 2003, Kanjilal’s expertise lies in e-learning, ICT in libraries, digital libraries, and multimedia courseware development, reported PTI. She is currently the National Coordinator for SWAYAM and SWAYAM PRABHA, key digital education initiatives by the Ministry of Education.
Kanjilal has held several leadership positions at the university, including Director of the Centre for Online Education (2019–2021), Director of the Inter-University Consortium for Technology Enabled Flexible Education (2016–2019), Director of the Advanced Centre for Informatics and Innovative Learning (2012–2013), Director of the School of Social Sciences (2007–2010), and University Librarian (2004–2006).
“With over 36 years of distinguished service in the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system, Kanjilal brings a wealth of academic leadership, digital innovation, and institutional knowledge to the helm of one of the world’s largest open universities,” an official the news agency.
Her international contributions include a Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (1999–2000), consultancy work for the Commonwealth of Learning, and digital education projects for UNRWA in Jordan. She has received numerous awards, including the Manthan Award for e-Education, an Australia-India Council Grant, and a DANIDA Fellowship.
“Kanjilal has been instrumental in expanding IGNOU’s digital infrastructure and online education offerings. Her leadership as the Principal Investigator of the National Virtual Library of India Project and her current role as Coordinator of IGNOU’s Project Management Unit under NMEICT Phase-III reflect her deep commitment to digital empowerment in education,” the university said in a statement.
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