THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Over 2,700 students, including four all-India gold medallists, received their degrees and diplomas at the 33rd convocation of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (Ignou) Regional Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, here on Monday. Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan delivered the convocation address and distributed the certificates to the learners.

The function was held at Ignou headquarters in New Delhi and simultaneously at 38 regional centres across the country, including the Centre located here. Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal delivered the convocation address at the convocation function held at Ignou headquarters, New Delhi. The live webcast of the convocation at New Delhi preceded the regional convocation function. There were four all-India gold medallists from the Thiruvananthapuram regional centre for the 33rd Convocation.

They are Girish Kumar C in Master of Arts in Education, Nidhiya Lal in Master of Arts in Political Science, Vijitha Robinson in post-graduate diploma in Intellectual Property Rights and Vineeth G Nair in post-graduate diploma in Information Security. Under the Thiruvananthapuram region, 2,779 learners were awarded degree and diploma certificates in various disciplines. Addressing the function Sreeramakrishnan said education, more particularly higher education, has become the key instrument for the growth of society and nation.

Despite the uneven nature and historical limitations, higher education in modern India is in a transitional and reformative stage, he said. Ignou regional director B Sukumar presented the progress report of the Ignou regional centre, Thiruvananthapuram, on the occasion. In his report, the regional director presented a description of various activities undertaken by the regional centre to its efforts to expand its network to reach transgenders, differently-abled, jail inmates and the underprivileged who are deprived of formal education.