Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Jul 27: Making history four decades after its inception, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has appointed Uma Kanjilal as its first woman Vice-Chancellor, an official from the Ministry of Education announced.

Recognised for her 36 years of contribution to open and distance learning, Kanjilal has been hailed as a key figure in IGNOU’s academic and digital evolution. “Uma Kanjilal has been an asset to IGNOU through her academic leadership, digital innovation and organizational knowledge,” the official noted.

Prior to this appointment, Kanjilal served as the Acting Vice-Chancellor from March 2021 to July 2024 and is currently functioning as the university’s active Vice-Chancellor.

A professor of Library and Information Science since 2003, Kanjilal is known for her expertise in e-learning, ICT applications in libraries, digital repositories, and multimedia learning tools. She also leads two of the Ministry of Education’s flagship digital initiatives—SWAYAM and SWAYAM PRABHA—as National Coordinator.