Addressing professional certification needs of higher learning and ‘in service training’ of its sailors, Indian Navy (Indian Navy) today, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), launching ‘Sagardeep’– a project registering existing sailors training institutes as Community Colleges enabling all serving sailors to obtain a Bachelor’s degree whilst in service.
The MoU was signed by teh Chief of Personnel, Vice Admiral MP Muralidharan, on behalf of Indian Navy and IGNOU Vice Chancellor, Prof VN Rajasekharan Pillai in the presence of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Nirmal Verma, senior Indian Navy, IGNOU Officials and the MoU beneficiaries viz Indian Navy sailors.Under the arrangements, various ‘in service’ training will enable sailors to earn credit points that would be transferred to IGNOU for completing their Certificates, Diplomas and Associate Degrees in various fields such as Arts, Science, Commerce, Business Administration, Hotel Management, Hospitality services, Medical services, Para Medical Sciences etc. Subsequently, the sailor can enroll for a one-year distance learning programme with IGNOU leading to award of Bachelor’s Degree.
The launch of the project will immediately benefit over fifty thousand Indian Navy personnel who will, on completion of the syllabus receive a Degree from the National University that has the potential to transform their post-retirement life besides helping them prepare for competitive jobs.
Speaking on the occassion Admiral Verma pointed out that “although the armed forces in general, are essentially professional fighting forces of the nation, what sets them apart from other national institutions is the manner in which they invest in training, educating and looking after their people”. Highlighting that the need to maintain a youthful profile of the fighting forces results in a sizeable number of sailors retiring in their mid 30’s, he said that this initiative will further assist the process of resettlement of these highly skilled and trained sailors.