With the declaration of 2005-2014 as the decade of education for Sustainable Development by the United Nations, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) established in March 2007, a University level Chair, cutting across disciplines and schools, to develop and promote Education for Sustainable Development in India. Swaminathan has been appointed as the Honorary Chair for Sustainable Development at IGNOU. Through the Honorary Chair, the IGNOU would enhance awareness and know-how to a wide spectrum of scientists, environmentalists, administrators, social scientists, policy makers and enlightened corporate sectors on the urgent and imperative need to put sustainability in the centre of all their endeavours. National Team:
Prof. V N R Pillai (IGNOU), Prof. Swaminathan (IGNOU), Prof. P C Kesavan (IGNOU), Dr. A K Sivakumar (UNICEF, India), Prof. P S Ramakrishnan (JNU), Prof. K S Rao (DU), Prof. Salooja (IGNOU), Dr. Latha Pillai (IGNOU, now in NAAC, Bangalore), Prof. R S Rana (National Biodiversity Authority, India), Dr. P A Azeez (SACON), Prof. Swarana Vepa (Madras School of Economics), Dr. Naresh Sahu (IIT, Bhubhaneswor), Dr. Jagdamba Prasad (IGNOU, Guwahati), Dr. Narendra Kumar Sahoo, Dr. Oinam Hemlata (Ambedkar University, Delhi), Dr. Anjan Prushty (SACON), Dr. Tanushree Bhattacharya (ISTAR, Gujarat), Dr. Bibhu Prasad Nayak (TERI, Delhi),Dr. N A Farooquee (IGNOU), Dr. Mohapatra Subhakanta (IGNOU), Dr. YSC Khuman (IGNOU)
In 2022, Indira Gandhi National Open University launches Master of Arts in Sustainability Science (MASS). Sustainability Science is an emerging discipline across the world. It is well acknowledged as one of the tools to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and also to promote sustainability in every sphere of life to all sectors of the society. IGNOU’s initiative by offering MASS is the first of its kind in India specially in higher education system with an aim to reach sustainability education across all sections of the society. Programme was developed under the visionary leadership of Prof. Nageshwar Rao, VC, IGNOU with the renowned educationists and practitioners in the field of Sustainability. The programme development team include, Prof. V K Jain, Vice Chancellor (Tezpur University, Assam), Dr. Eklabya Sharma (Former VC, TERISAS), Prof. D B Sahoo (Director, Centre for Himalayan Studies, University of Delhi), Prof. Prof. Akhilesh S. Raghubanshi (Director, Institute of Environment & Sustainable Development, Banaras Hindu University), Prof. K G Saxena (SES, JNU), Prof. K S Rao (Department of Botany, University of Delhi) and other academics from across the country. Programme Details:
MASS: https://iop.ignouonline.ac.in/programme/p74
PGDSS (Online): https://iop.ignouonline.ac.in/programme/p18
