Super 30 founder and mathematician Anand Kumar has received an invitation from edX, an online portal that offers free online courses, to take classes.

The portal, which gets support from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University, offers online school and university-level courses to students.

The courses are offered in English, Mandarin, French and Spanish. Some courses are also offered free of cost. More than 60 universities are a part of the initiative.

"Nearly 20 years back, I had a dream, to study at Cambridge University but my family's economic condition wasn't good. My dream of studying in a British university was shattered," Anand said. "I am very happy that I have been invited to teach through a platform backed by institutions like MIT and Harvard University."

MIT professor Anant Agarwal has written a letter to Anand citing similarities between Super 30 and edX. The letter stated: "We would be delighted to explore how we might be able to work together by taking your Super 30 content onto our platform." It also mentions that edX is trying to bridge the gap for millions of students across India.

Anand has been running Super 30, a pioneering initiative to mentor students from underprivileged sections of society, to help them crack the IIT entrance test.

The initiative was launched in 2002 and has groomed more than 330 students till date.

"We were in touch with MIT and Harvard University officials for the past six months who asked me to render my service," Anand said. The programme will start after Super 30 signs an agreement with the two institutions.

Once the deal in finalised, Harvard University and MIT will set up a studio at Super 30 from where Anand will teach students through videoconferencing. He will also assist in preparing course material.

Recently, Dr Biju Mathew, a Canada-based Indian-origin psychiatrist, had written a book on Anand's life that was released last month by chief minister Nitish Kumar.