Jagadish Kumar, chairman, UGC previously announced that students will be able to pursue two full-time academic courses simultaneously. Source: UGC
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has sought proposals from universities and colleges for the development of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) at undergraduate and postgraduate levels for six subjects under India’s Artic Policy (IAP).
The UGC has written to the vice-chancellors, principals and directors of universities, colleges and Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to submit proposals by May 15 for development of MOOC in Science and Research, Climate and Environmental Protection, Economic and Human Development, Transportation and Connectivity, Governance and International Cooperation and National Capacity Building.
The Union government released India’s Arctic Policy titled ‘India and the Arctic: building a Partnership for Sustainable Development’ on March 17.
“India’s Arctic Policy would play an essential role in preparing the country for a future where humankind’s biggest challenges, like climate change, can be addressed through collective will and effort,” UGC stated in its letter to the heads of higher education institutions in the country.
UGC also mentioned that implementing India’s Arctic Policy will involve multiple stakeholders, including academia, the research community, business, and industry.
“There is a need to create awareness among universities, colleges about availability of courses, job and research opportunities in the area of Arctic/Polar studies,” UGC said in its letter.
The decision was taken to generate course content on Artic/ Polar Studies for inclusion on SWAYAM platform in a meeting that was held at the National Security Council Secretariat.