What is Swayam? Learn More About UGC's Online Short-Term Courses

Aiming to improve higher education in India, the UGC has started a new and innovative way of providing convenient and integrated plan of education for higher studies.

What is Swayam?

• Swayam is an integrated platform for online courses to be provided by all central universities from school level to the post-graduate level.
• Basically, it shall be interactive e-content for free on the internet.
• The guidelines for Swayam by the UGC for the credit framework for online learning courses through Swayam were issued on July 19, 2016.
• Subsequently, it was approved by the human resources development ministry.

How does Swayam scheme work?

• Swayam (Study Web of Active Learning by Young and Aspiring Minds) is a plan in bringing digital India into practise, by integrating different universities under one scheme.
• Under this scheme, students will be allowed to take online courses in whichever subject or university they wish.
• Students who take up these courses will be benefited as the scores achieved in short term courses will be credited to main mark-sheet of the university.

What are norms set by the UGC?

• All the central universities are mandated to participate in this programme. Under this scheme, the UGC has uploaded all the online courses to be offered by the varsities.
• No university can deny crediting the score for the online courses being opted in any of the central universities.
• The parent institution shall give equivalent credit weightage to students for the credits earned through online learning courses in the credit plan of the programme.
• No university shall refuse credit mobility to any students.

"We want to widen the scope of higher education, and bring down costs through technological advances," a senior official said

When will the courses begin?

• The UGC will update information related to Swayam on June 1 and November 1, informing about the online courses to be offered in the upcoming session.
  
• The scheme is anticipated to be started from the next academic session.
• According to Hindustan Times, the courses are likely to be launched in mid-August.
  
• There are more than 2,000 online courses being initiated under this project.