Prof Uma Kanjilal appointed as Vice-Chancellor of IGNOU

Since the institution's founding in 1985, Uma Kanjilal has been the first woman to serve as Vice Chancellor of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). IGNOU made the announcement on Thursday, precisely one year after she assumed the role of Acting Vice Chancellor on July 25, 2024.

Kanjilal, who has worked in the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system for more than 36 years, has held a number of important academic and administrative positions at IGNOU. She was Pro Vice Chancellor from March 2021 until July 2024 before taking on her current position.

She has previously served as the head of a number of university organizations, including the School of Social Sciences, the Advanced Centre for Informatics and Innovative Learning, the Inter-University Consortium for Technology Enabled Flexible Education, and the Centre for Online Education. 
Kanjilal, who has been a professor of library and information science since 2003, is well-known for her contributions to e-learning, digital education, and ICT in libraries.

She is currently the National Coordinator for SWAYAM and SWAYAM PRABHA, two programs started by the Ministry of Education to increase access to online learning and educational television. She has also contributed to a number of national digital education initiatives.

IGNOU said in a statement on Friday that her appointment is a "historic milestone" for the university and that she brings a wealth of academic leadership, digital innovation, and institutional knowledge to the helm.

She has worked with UNRWA in Jordan and was a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign from 1999 to 2000.