SHUBHANGI SHIFA
Ranchi, April 15: 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 Arctic Policy (IAP).
The UGC has written to the vice-chancellors, principals and directors of universities, colleges along with Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) to submit proposals for development of MOOC in subjects including Science and Research, Climate and Environmental Protection, Economic and Human Development, Transportation and Connectivity, Governance and International Cooperation and National Capacity Building.
Notably, the central government had 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,” the UGC stated in its letter to the heads of higher education institutions in the country.
The 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 the availability of courses, job and research opportunities in the area of Arctic/Polar studies,” the UGC said in its letter.
The decision was taken to generate course content on Arctic/ Polar Studies for inclusion on the SWAYAM platform in a meeting.
