The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has plans afoot to launch a training programme for youths belonging to the Below the Poverty Line (BPL) category in the Maoist-hit areas of eastern India.

On completion of the course, which begins in January, the students will be offered jobs by the placement cell of the university.

The five programmes the university has identified to be part of the course are Certificate in Computer

Basics, Certificate in Advanced Computing, Certificate in Job Training, Certificate in Interview Etiquette and Diploma in Advanced Computing.

The programme will be taught through internet-enabled Common Service Centres (CSC) located in the village panchayat offices.

“The students will visit the centre, get an enrollment number and complete the course from the village panchayat offices,” said an IGNOU official, adding that most of the learning content will be available online.

For the CSCs, IGNOU recently signed a memorandum of agreement with SREI Sahaj e-Governance (SAHAJ), a Kolkata-based educational and vocational training NGO.

Programme in-charge Pandav Nayak said: “Naxalism is a socio-economic problem. This is evident in all Maoist-hit regions in the tribal belts of eastern India. The basic objective of IGNOU is to take education to the deprived lot.”

Nayak, a former vice-chancellor of Utkal University, said students will have to clear the Class X examinations to be eligible for admissions.

In eastern India, IGNOU will come up with a Regional Institute for Vocational Education and Training for East Zone (RIVET-EZ) to monitor the programme.

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