NPTEL says MoE funding continues, clarifies survey was to ‘seek learner feedback’

The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL) has clarified that its recent survey was conducted to collect feedback from learners and was not intended to indicate any imminent stoppage of funding from the Ministry of Education. The clarification came after social media users questioned whether the government had stopped funding NPTEL and raised concerns over the possibility of the programme moving towards a self-sustaining model and potentially increasing fees.

In its clarification, NPTEL said that the Ministry of Education, Government of India, has supported the programme for the last two and a half decades. It added that NPTEL has received “strong support” from the Ministry for its certification efforts and continues to receive such support currently.

NPTEL said the purpose of its recent survey was to seek feedback from learners as the programme aims to expand its offerings and provide high-quality education. “The intention of the recent survey of NPTEL was to collect feedback from its learners as NPTEL aims to expand its offering and provide high quality education,” NPTEL said.

“This was not to state or indicate any imminent stoppage of funding from the Ministry of Education to NPTEL,” it added.

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Survey sparks questions

The clarification comes after concerns were raised online after an NPTEL communication to learners discussed the programme’s funding arrangement. The communication stated that NPTEL is currently funded by the Ministry of Education for the creation and offering of courses through the SWAYAM platform.

According to the communication, the government funding supports free course enrolment and subsidised examination fees for learners.

The communication also mentioned a possible future scenario in which NPTEL could transition to a self-sustaining model. It stated that if government funding were withdrawn and NPTEL were unable to secure funding through other sources, the programme “may need to transition to a self-sustaining model from 2027”.

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The communication said the survey was seeking learners’ “feedback and views on the possible way forward for NPTEL” and asked them to share their inputs. The reference to the possible self-sustaining model led some users to question whether government funding had been stopped or whether changes to the existing model were being considered.

One user questioned the government’s priorities, asking why it could not fund NPTEL and referring to the possibility of increased fees to make the programme self-sustaining and raised concerns over the future of NPTEL’s courses. One user said the programme’s material had been “free, high quality and useful for decades” and should remain free. Another user questioned whether the communication meant that claims about underfunding or lack of funding were correct.

Following the reactions, NPTEL issued its clarification emphasising that the survey should not be interpreted as an indication of an imminent funding stoppage.

NPTEL is a consortium of seven IITs and IISc. It offers online courses through the SWAYAM platform for certification and credit transfer to lakhs of students every year.