Bhubaneswar/New Delhi: In a significant step towards inclusive education, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) on Tuesday launched its Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme in Odia medium, opening admissions for the course at its New Delhi campus.

With this initiative, IGNOU becomes the first national university to offer a professional MBA degree in the Odia language through the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) mode. The move is aimed at removing language barriers in higher education and enabling wider access to professional courses.

IGNOU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Uma Kanjilal said the launch of the Odia-medium MBA programme is a milestone in empowering students from Odisha. “By introducing this programme in the Odia language, we are enabling a new generation of learners to excel in management education without being hindered by language constraints,” she said.

The initiative is in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which emphasises the promotion of Indian languages in higher education to foster inclusion and equity.

Under the programme, students will be able to access course materials in Odia, attend academic counselling sessions in Odia, and write their examinations in Odia.