JAMMU: The School of Interdisciplinary and Trans disciplinary Studies (SOITS) of IGNOU has launched a special course titled Disability Society and Culture (Divyangta Samaj aur Sanskriti) with Course Code- BMDG 171 under the Four Year Undergraduate Programme.
Earlier in January this year, UGC had launched the four-year undergraduate programme (FYUP) of IGNOU which is considered as a crucial reform in Indian Higher Education and aims to provide students with diverse opportunities for enrollment. The programmes already launched include Bachelor of Commerce (BCOMF), Bachelor of Arts (Economics), Bachelor of Arts (History), Bachelor of Arts (Political Science), Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), Bachelor of Arts (Public Administration), Bachelor of Arts (Sociology), Bachelor of Arts (Anthropology), Bachelor of Science (Biochemistry), Bachelor of Arts (English), Bachelor of Arts (Hindi), Bachelor of Arts (Sanskrit), Bachelor of Arts (Urdu), Bachelor of Social Work, Bachelor of Arts (Facilities and Service Management), Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy), and Bachelor of Arts ( Journalism and Digital Media).
The learners can take FYUP courses as part of their regular programme or can also do a simultaneous UG degree in a different discipline than their primary discipline. The FYUP has been implemented under the New Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Under FYUP, credit scores are introduced for every course and the learners have the option to pursue either a three-year honours course or four years honours course with or without the research component.
“In order to spread awareness about issues related to special needs of specially-abled individuals, IGNOU has decided to start a course on disability studies at the UG level under FYUP in accordance with NEP-2020 which will not only spread awareness about the issues related to various kinds of special needs, but also build a workforce specialised in handling the special needs of the needy”, said Dr. Sandeep Gupta, Regional Director.