SWAYAM: Government notifies 75 National Resource Centres for Higher Education faculty

Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) launched initiative of online professional development of 1.5 million higher education faculty using massive open online course (MOOC) platform SWAYAM. Under its first phase of implementation, 75 discipline-specific National Resource Centres (NRCs) have been identified.

Key Facts

Under this initiative, all in-service teachers, irrespective of their subject and seniority will get opportunity to keep abreast of latest developments in their disciplines through technology based online refresher course. The training materials will be uploaded and made available through SWAYAM platform to all the teachers every year. NRCs will publish list of faculty who have been certified by December, 2018. UGC will issue order and regulations for the purpose of Career Progression and APIs.

National Resource Centres (NRCs)

These75 discipline-specific NRCS includes varied set of institutions under Ministry’s Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya National Mission on Teachers and Teaching (PMMMNMTT) located in Central Universities, IISc, IUCAA, IITs, IISERs, NITs, State Universities, UGC’s Human Resource Development Centres (HRDCs), National Institutes for Technical Teachers Training (NITTTRs), IIITs, Open Universities. These NRCs are tasked to prepare online training material with focus on latest developments in discipline, new and emerging trends, pedagogical improvements and methodologies for transacting revised curriculum.

SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active –Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) programme

SWAYAM aims to bridge digital divide for students (especially most disadvantaged) who have hitherto remained untouched by digital revolution and have not been able to join mainstream of the knowledge economy. It is an indigenous developed IT platform that facilitates hosting of all the courses, taught in classrooms from 9th grade till post-graduation. Courses hosted by it can be accessed by anyone, anywhere at any time at free of cost. It objective is to achieve the three cardinal principles of education policy – access, equity and quality. The interactive courses on this platform are prepared by best teachers in the country.

Month: Current Affairs - May, 2018