Comcom: Is your centre getting support/help/aids still from Japan?

Dr Sreedher: No. We may get into further collaborations with them in training and use of newer gadgets later.

Comcom: Is the centre full geared to meet the modern challenges in distance education?

Dr Sreedher: Yes. So far we do not even use 33% of our installed capacity. Meanwhile we are also creating such facilities in various state open universities, national open school etc. Even after starting the educational channel, running the TDCC channel for teleconferencing along with ISRO,our production of curriculum based programmes have not come down.

comcom: Do you take the support of private producers in creating quality education programmes?

Dr Sreedher: Yes. Recently IGNOU has started empanelling private producers for creating software. So far we have empannelled around 200 producers and already a good number of them have started producing programes.

Comcom: Why the minstry has selected IGNOU-EMPC for running the educational channel?

Dr Sreedher: Basically because of the Sanchar Kendra and its state of art facilities. Also during the past few years IGNOU has become a role model for educational institutions. It has the largest number of students in any single university in the world. The dependence on public exchequers funds is minimal in the case of IGNOU. It has evolved good systems and has a professional work culture.

Comcom: Do you feel you are adequately equipped to meet the challenge of running a full education channel?

Dr Sreedher: Yes. We have 22 producers of whom a large number of them posessess high academic qualifications including doctorate degrees. Many of them have worked in radio or TV channels.

Comcom: Which are other educational bodies helping you in this venture are they doing quality job?

Dr Sreedher: We have roped in more than 100 institutions in supplying us the software. To name a few: UGC, NCERT, Vigyan Prasar, Dept of Adult Education, IIT, TTTI, Dept of Health and Family welfare, Ministry of Environment, Indira Gandhi Centre for National arts, Loss Prevention association of India, Maruti Udyog etc etc.

Comcom:Don't you think that interactive learning support for education especially for distance education is totally different from telecasting programmes?

Dr Sreedher: Yes. In television you look for galmour, colour and presentation. In interactive distance education you look for more contents, thinking, repetition , clarification etc

Comcom: What are the other requirements to achieve a standard in you channel endeavour?

Dr Sreedher: Talent hunt. More viewership. Later of course finances

Comcom: Do you have special programmes support for weaker children?

Dr Sreedher: EMPC IGNOU acts only as a service provider. But we welcome programmes that support weaker children.

Comcom: What are you doing about teacher education?

Dr Sreedher: NCERT/CIET produces a daily 15 mt programmes for teacher education. It is telecast at 5.45a.m. on the National network also. In addition we give full support to interactive teacher education programmes of the world bank aided DEP /DPEP programmes. We have just started interacting with NCTE and hope to come out with really innovative programmes.

Comcom: Is there any possibility of running your channel through advertisement revenue?

Dr Sreedher: Presently no. But anyone who runs a channel would like to have advertisement revenue. But that day is far off.