SWAYAM: ten National Coordinators, four quadrants and courses from Class 9 to postgraduate level

Background

The National Testing Agency's notice inviting applications for the SWAYAM July 2026 semester examination puts the platform itself in the news. SWAYAM is an initiative of the Ministry of Education, described as designed to achieve the three cardinal principles of Education Policy, and it aims to give free learning resources to all learners including the most disadvantaged. Courses run from Class 9 through postgraduate education, and more than 1,000 faculty and teachers have helped prepare them. Every course is built on four quadrants: video lectures, reading material that can be downloaded or printed, self-assessment tests and quizzes, and an online discussion forum for clearing doubts. Ten National Coordinators handle different segments: AICTE for self-paced and international courses, NPTEL for engineering, UGC for non-technical postgraduate education, CEC for undergraduate education, NCERT and NIOS for school education, IGNOU for out-of-school students, IIMB for management studies, NITTTR for teacher training and INI for non-technical courses. A learner who wants a SWAYAM certificate must register for a fee-based proctored final examination held in person at designated centres, and universities and colleges that approve credit transfer can use those marks or certificates.