New Delhi: In a unique move, IGNOU has launched a scheme of 'walk-in-examinations' under which students can decide the date of their exams instead of waiting for completion of the six-month term.

Under the scheme, students can simply walk into any identified test centres of the university on the prescribed days and take the examination much before the completion of the (six-month) term, an IGNOU spokesperson told reporters, adding, the results will be processed on a monthly basis.

"Walk-in-examination will give learners the liberty to decide the dates of exams as per their suitability and convenience, thus lowering the exam pressure on them and also bringing down the fail percentage," he said.

The new scheme was launched on the foundation day of the varsity yesterday by university vice chancellor Prof V N Rajasekharan Pillai.

"The scheme will reduce the possibility of mal-practice in exams as each student will get different set of question papers and the examination will be conducted under camera surveillance," the spokesperson said.

Registration of students, allotment of dates and issue of hall tickets will be done on-line, he said.

However, he said, initially the walk-in-examination will be conducted only in selected regional centres of the varsity once a week -- on Sunday.

The frequency of such walk-in-exams will be increased thereafter depending on the need, he said.

The varsity also launched a programme on sustainable science on the foundation day celebration, open to graduates of any discipline.

The appreciation programme on sustainable development has been designed in collaboration with the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation and was launched in the presence of Prof Swaminathan himself at the function.

The objective of the programme, said Swaminathan, is to spread awareness about sustainable development and help farmers enhance productivity without inflicting ecological harm.

"It is primarily an action-education programme where students as per the course curriculum have to prepare an agenda for their locality based on sustainable development," he said.

On the occasion, IGNOU Vice Chancellor Pillai kicked-off the on-line admission service. The system covers all courses where examination is required.

Noted economist Abid Hussain also spoke on the occasion