KOLKATA, 3 MAY: Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) will set up a study centre at the Alipore Correctional Home this year where courses on human rights, Bachelor Training Programme and others will be offered at to inmates. According to IGNOU officials, the total number of inmates who have enrolled will be known only when registration is completed. The university has also introduced new courses for sex workers and has decided to waive fees for the course. The Bachelor Preparatory Programme (BPP) is a six-month course aimed at preparing students to secure admission in the university's BA course. There is no age limit for securing admission in BPP. A total of 26 sex workers have enrolled for the course this year. Prof. VN Rajasekharan Pillai, Vice Chancellor of IGNOU said there has been a significant rise in the number of students in the past few years. In 2007, 29,090 students registered in the university, in 2008 there were 32,600 students and in 2009 the figure rose to 36,140. Prof. Pillai said the university has been working on a series of new ideas to provide education to people who cannot afford to pursue courses in a conventional university. The university has designed a short-term training programme for the headmasters of schools of Sunderbans area to develop their administrative skills. In June, IGNOU plans to introduce a certificate course in Bengali on Integrated Pest Management Technology in potato cultivation for the farmers. The course will be offered in collaboration with the state agriculture department. This apart, a short term training programme will also be offered to the farmers cultivating betel vines on Sagar island, in the Sundarbans. In order to help farmers understand the modern technique of cultivation, the programme will be offered in Bengali.