While the advantages of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) are praiseworthy (“ >Virtual courses for a knowledge-based society ,” July 1), the writer has failed to understand and explain the reason for the high enrolment of Indians in MOOCs worldwide but with a minimal rate of course completion. They seem to be sought after by students who are not academically inclined yet eager to have a course certificate. Second, there are a number of short-time online courses offered by bogus educational institutes — very popular again, being affordable. If MOOCs are to succeed in India, they must be under the supervision of the HRD Ministry, the UGC and the AICTE.
Sumeet Mahendra,
New Delhi
