The
government will soon launch a programme under which professors of
centrally funded institutions and universities will offer free online
courses to the citizens, it was announced Thursday. Under the SWAYAM
(Study Webs of Active-learning for Young Aspiring Minds) Programme,
professors of centrally funded universities like Indian Institutes of
Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and central
universities will offer online courses. While all courses will be made
available free of cost for learning, a small fee will be applicable in
case the learner requires a verified certificate.
The
programme is part of the initiatives undertaken by the ministry of
human resource development in the first 100 days of the Narendra Modi
government. "SWAYAM is the Indian version of Massive Open Online Course
(MOOC) and will be available shortly to Indian students and citizens.
For this purpose, our institutions will be taking up more disciplines
and also create content which will be available online," R.P. Sisodia,
joint secretary, higher education said at a press conference to
highlight the ministry's initiatives.
In
the first phase, IIT Bombay, IIT Chennai, IIT Kanpur, IIT Guwahati,
University of Delhi, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and IIM Bangalore
among others, alone as well as with the help of faculty from foreign
universities, will be offering courses in areas of management, social
science, basic sciences, engineering education and energy.
At
least one crore students are expected to benefit in two to three years.
SWAYAM will be launched this year. Under another initiative, GIAN
(Global Initiative for Academic Network), eminent scholars and
scientists from India and abroad would come and teach and guide students
in Indian institutions. A database is being created so as to initiate
activities from the academic year 2015.
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