From Our Correspondent
MAWKYRWAT, May 18: A one-day workshop titled ‘Under Graduate Educational Reforms in Meghalaya: Issues and Challenges,’ aimed to address the pressing issues and challenges in the education sector in Meghalaya, was organised by the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of Sngap Syiem College, Mawkyrwat, in collaboration with the RUSA Cell SSC, Mawkyrwat.
The workshop focused on three crucial aspects — ABCS, MOOCs, and SWAYAM, which are integral to the development of higher education. The esteemed resource persons for the event were Prof S Umdor, Controller of Examinations at North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, and Dr Q Khabuli, Coordinator of SWAYAM at NEHU.
The first technical session featured a stimulating lecture by Prof S Umdor, specifically targeting students in their First Year Undergraduate Program (FYUP). He delved into the essence of higher education and highlighted the significance of the Common University Entrance Test for Undergraduates (CUET-UG) as a means to gauge one’s knowledge against national standards.
Prof Umdor urged students to embrace change and broaden their minds to prepare for an uncertain future, emphasising the importance of cultivating a habit of reading, as books are a gateway to expanding the mind.
The professor also discussed how traditional education has been overshadowed by market-oriented modern education, which focuses on developing skills, competencies, and enhancing productivity.
As Meghalaya faces an imbalance between various streams and courses offered in higher education, introducing new skill-based courses is imperative to achieving equilibrium, Prof Umdor said.
The concept of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) was introduced during this session, explaining how anyone can pursue short-duration courses and earn a degree without being physically present in a traditional classroom setup. Prof Umdor motivated students to read books and newspapers to develop an open mind and break free from narrow-mindedness and biases.
In the second session, Dr. Q. Kharbuli, Associate Professor at NEHU Shillong, spoke on MOOCs and Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds (SWAYAM). Both are online learning platforms under the Ministry of Education, Government of India. Through MOOCs and SWAYAM, students can opt for elective courses under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. SWAYAM offers online courses at the undergraduate level to students in the 2nd and 3rd semesters in lieu of elective courses. These courses are offered twice a year, with notifications of the list of courses published on November 1st for the January semester and June 1st for the July semester.
Dr Kharbuli also highlighted the benefits of faculty enrolling in SWAYAM/MOOCs for their Career Advancement Scheme and Faculty Development Programme. She also discussed SWAYAM Prabha and e-PG Pathshala.
