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

E-mail

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.

ASHRAY An e- News Letter from SSC

Contact us at:

Phone: 011-29572514

E mail: ssc@ignou.ac.in