New Delhi, Dec 21: India and Afghanistan have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under which students and faculty of educational institutions in the Muslim-dominated nation will be facilitated to register and use the SWAYAM courses launched by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD).
The SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active –Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) is a programme initiated by the Narendra Modi government which provides opportunity to achieve equity, quality and access in education by bridging the digital divide and by bringing the best teaching and learning resources to the last man in the row. It is an online platform which offers various courses, which can be pursued online and are prepared by the best teachers from across India.
MHRD will impart necessary training to Afghan students and faculty
Under the agreement, teachers and students from Afghanistan will not only be able to use courses devised in India but also can also upload courses developed in Afghanistan on SWAYAM.
The MHRD will impart the necessary training to the students and faculty from Afghanistan who are keen to pursue the SWAYAM courses.
As per the MoU, the MHRD will also provide access and share with Afghanistan the technology of similar other online educational Initiatives like the National Digital Library of India (NDLI), virtual labs and spoken tutorials.
India, Afghanistan exploring possibility of joint PG degree programmes
The two nations are also exploring the possibility of establishing joint post graduation degree programmes to be awarded by universities and institutions of India and Afghanistan.
The HRD Ministry will also assist its Afghan counterpart to develop curriculum and capacity of teaching staff.
According to observers, the MoU is a significant milestone in the collaboration between Indian and Afghanistan in the education sector.
India and Afghanistan have strong bilateral ties in various fields, including the education sector. The MoU was signed to strengthen further this diplomatic relation.
According to a data, over 35 lakh students, from Class 9 to post graduation, have enrolled in about 2,000 courses being offered through SWAYAM, a platform which also provide Annual Refresher courses for faculty in higher education institutions in India.
