IGNOU Lists Kannur Prison As Exam Centre, Leaves Students Confused

The unusual error came to light when some students, skeptical about their allocated centre, decided to call the prison authorities to verify whether exams would actually be conducted there.

Despite the issue being flagged, IGNOU has yet to remove Kannur Prison from its portal.

Source : ABPLIVE AI

Students of the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) were left baffled after discovering that Kannur Central Prison was mistakenly listed as one of the six examination centres for the district in the upcoming June 2 term-end exams.

The unusual error came to light when some students, skeptical about their allocated centre, decided to call the prison authorities to verify whether exams would actually be conducted there. The response was an unequivocal no, adding to the confusion.

Prison Exams—But Only for Inmates

One affected student, an MBA candidate specialising in human resource management, said she chose the prison as her centre since it was the only option that allowed her to write all six subject exams at one location, as per a report on Manorama. She later realised that the selection was an error on IGNOU’s part.

Despite the issue being flagged, IGNOU has yet to remove Kannur Prison from its portal. This has raised concerns among students especially since IGNOU’s guidelines clearly state that exam centre change requests will not be entertained.

While IGNOU does conduct exams in prisons, they are meant only for inmates. If an incarcerated student selects an external exam centre, their application is automatically rerouted to the correctional facility where they are lodged. However, prison centres are not supposed to be visible as an option for regular students.

The registration portal opened on March 14 and students can apply without a late fee until April 20. With no official clarification from IGNOU yet, affected candidates are now left waiting for a resolution.

Meanwhile, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) will conduct its June 2025 Term-End Examinations for Open and Distance Learning (ODL) and Online programmes (both Pen & Paper and Computer-Based Test modes) starting from June 2, 2025.

The university has activated the online portal for eligible students to submit their examination forms. All eligible candidates should complete their registrations within the stipulated timeline to ensure smooth participation in the upcoming examinations.