In an effort to make education more accessible to all, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) will be launching a Special Centre for E-Learning (SCEL) with the aim of developing online version of courses currently being taught at the university.
The university administration said on Tuesday that the executive council had recently approved the establishment of the special centre.
Ivory towers
“Universities should not remain as ivory towers. They should reach out to society. One way of doing this is to make high quality education more inclusive through time and space independent learning,” said JNU vice-chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar.
He added that the initiative would help students from the remotest parts of the country get access to JNU’s vast intellectual resources.
“JNU has been known not only for its academic excellence but also for its inclusive academic and social character. Thousands of aspirants apply each year to come and study in JNU, but only a handful [2%] make it to the university due to the limited number of students who can be admitted in its academic programmes,” said Rana Pratap Singh, Rector-III.
He added that the online centre would help JNU share its academic excellence with those who do not get a seat as well as those who cannot afford to study at JNU.
The university said that the faculty was actively working to get the material ready so that they could participate in the UGC’s Massive Open Online Courses offered at its SWAYAM platform.
SWAYAM is a programme launched by the Centre to make the best teaching resources available for all. Courses delivered through SWAYAM are available free of cost, however, students wanting certifications will have to register.
