New Delhi: Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has announced to offer new programme - post graduate (PG) course on Ambedkar's Philosophy, from the ensuing July 2010 session. As per sources, the announcement was made by Prof. Gail Omvedt, Chairperson, Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar Chair, on the occasion of 119th Birth anniversary of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, on April 14, 2010.
The function was organized by IGNOU's 'Dr. Ambedkar Chair on Social Change and Development' and 'IGNOU Scheduled Castes (SC)/Scheduled Tribes (ST) Employee &Teachers' Welfare Association', to celebrate the 119th birth anniversary of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.
Prof. Gail, while delivering a lecture, emphasized that there is no question pertaining to caste in Census 2011. Scholars are faced by a dearth of data, as there is just no data available on questions like what kinds of changes have taken place within the caste system. People who talk about caste are branded as casteist, while the ground reality is that even today, feudal and extreme forms of casteism like manual scavenging remain.
Presenting the inaugural address, IGNOU Vice Chancellor, Professor V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai remarked that Dr. Ambedkar stressed the position of education as an agent of change. It is very important to propagate the teachings of Dr. Ambedkar by all Universities in the country. IGNOU constituted the Dr. Ambedkar Chair on Social Change and Development, two years back for this purpose. The Chair has been giving academic orientation to IGNOU's activities in social change and mobility.
