Andhra Pradesh govt signs MoU with e-learning platform edX to offer higher education courses to youth

Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) [India], February 16 : The Andhra Pradesh government and edX, an e-learning platform, signed an agreement in the presence of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at his camp office here on Friday for offering world-class higher education courses to the youth.
An official release said the agreement paves the way for more than 12 lakh students to pursue 2,000-plus edX online courses offered by the world's top-notch universities and other educational institutions, free of cost along with their regular courses. Teachers drawn from some of the world's top universities and institutions would impart lessons to students.
Besides, the students who could not afford to study at top colleges would now have the chance to easily learn courses designed by universities such as Harvard, MIT, Oxford, Cambridge, UC Berkeley and the London School of Economics. These universities would conduct online exams and issue certificates, and the credits offered by them would become a part of the curriculum.
The pact with edX would remove the shortcomings in professional and traditional degree education thereby developing skilled human resources. It is a significant step in the reforms initiated by the government to provide the youth access to quality education, the release said.
The Andhra Pradesh government is the first in the world to sign a MoU with the edX for making available high-end emerging courses to the students pursuing education in government schools and colleges, said its founder and CEO Anant Agarwal.
Speaking to the media, the edX CEO said that he was happy that the vision of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to provide quality education to students is becoming a reality.
He said he was "surprised" with the vision of the Chief Minister on education. There is no doubt that other states in the country and other countries will soon follow the educational models followed by Andhra Pradesh, he added.
B. Tech student Pragathi Jaiswal of Padmavathi Mahila University, Tirupati, thanked the Chief Minister for the MoU with the edX and said that lakhs of students would stand by him in turning Andhra Pradesh into a State of Knowledge, Innovation and Excellence.
A. Haritha, a B. Tech student of JNTU, Anantapuram, said she has benefitted from the innovative educational schemes like Jagananna Vidya Deevena and Vasathi Deevena and the availability of edX courses will help her and many other students become globally competitive.
Anjali, a B.Com student of Mary Stella College, Vijayawada thanked the Chief Minister for the MoU with the edX as it helps her learn modern vertical courses in commerce.