There is a very thin line of difference between Distance Learning and online education. Both aim at making the education system more flexible and accessible. As a matter of fact, all online education programs can be categorized as distance learning courses, however, this is not the case vice versa. The only difference is the technology and the means used by the distance and online education system to recognize these mentioned goals.Talking about IGNOU distance learning or Indira Gandhi National Open University, offers several distance learning programs in almost every discipline covered by traditional regular schools, colleges and institutes. From Engineering to Public Administration, it offers distance learning courses at all levels, i.e. from Graduation to PhD.Since 1985, IGNOU has been serving the educational realm with utmost dedication and responsibility, thereby, making a significant mark in fostering the development of higher education all over the country through the Open and Distance Learning.Owing to its highly flexible features, IGNOU is recognized as the “People’s University”. It has adopted a learner friendly approach and follows the policy of flexibility in terms of:

Required qualifications
Time taken to complete a program
Place of study
IGNOU has made noteworthy endeavors in bringing education to every nook and cranny of the nation. At present it provides for 338 programs, about 3,500 courses and caters to the educations aspirations of more than 30 lakh students.The IGNOU library is an ingenious national information centre which draws light on the concept of Distance Education. Established in 1886, IGNOU library is a largest collection of books, journals and other related materials on Distance education which strive to uphold the aims and objectives of IGNOU.To know about the various fields of study covered by IGNOU, take a look at the following list of IGNOU Schools:

School of agriculture
School of Performing and Visual Arts
School of Computer and information Sciences
School of Education
School of Engineering and Technology
School of Extension and Development Studies
School of Foreign Languages
School of Gender and Development Studies
School of Health Sciences
School of Humanities
School of Inter Disciplinary And trans-Disciplinary Studies
School of Journalism and New Media Studies
School of Law
School of Management Studies
School of Sciences
School of Social Sciences
School of Social Work
School of Tourism Hospitality Service Sectoral Management
School of Translation Studies and Training
School of Vocational Education and Training
For more than two decades, with several study centers spread all over the country IGNOU has worked upon education Indians who could not avail the traditional education mode due to distance, financial or time constraints.Keep in tone with the present online education technology, today IGNOU distance learning has adopted online means for imparting education. One can rightly say, nationally, IGNOU has played the role of a protagonist in the field of Distance learning.