(a) whether the Government has proposed to introduce Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government has any proposal to recognize certificates from online courses in the country; and
(d) if so, the details thereof and the status of digital learning in the country?
MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
(SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)
(a) & (b) Yes, Madam. Government of India has approved a scheme for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to provide best quality e-learning resources to students across country. An Indian platform called Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM) is being developed for hosting of MOOCs. SWAYAM-MOOCs project is intended to address the needs of school level 9-12 to Under Graduate and Post Graduate students, covering all disciplines. About 2000 courses shall be launched, with a support from network/Cloud that can support 10 Lakh concurrent users and up to 3 Crores Learners.
(c) & (d) Yes, Madam. The Government plans to recognize certificates issued via SWAYAM platform in the country. To enhance digital learning in the country, Government has approved National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT) in the year 2009, to provide high quality personalized and interactive knowledge modules over the internet/intranet for all learners in Higher Educational Institutions in anytime anywhere mode. Through this scheme the Ministry is providing connectivity to all colleges and Universities and providing high quality e-content free of cost.
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