National Digital University
{{Short description|An online university in India}}
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|name = National Digital University (NDU)
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|established = 2023
|type = Public
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|campus = Virtual (Online)
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|affiliations = University Grants Commission
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The National Digital University (NDU) is India's first digital university, constituted by the Ministry of Education (India) under its National Education Policy 2020. The start of the academic year for 2023-24 is scheduled to take place in July 2023 (now 2024).{{Cite web |title=Digital University to begin in India by July 2023: Know how it works, courses to be offered |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-digital-university-to-begin-in-india-by-july-2023-know-how-it-works-courses-to-be-offered-2991583 |access-date=2023-07-07 |website=DNA India |language=en}}
History
During the 2022 Union budget of India, Nirmala Sitharaman, the Minister of Finance in India, revealed plans to establish the National Digital University.{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Kritika |date=2023-01-26 |title=Budget 2023: Digital University, announced by Sitharaman last year, to begin classes this July |url=https://theprint.in/budget/budget-2023-digital-university-announced-by-sitharaman-last-year-to-begin-classes-this-july/1325798/ |access-date=2023-07-07 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US}}
NDU plans to provide online courses exclusively through its partner institutes, which can include both private and public universities. It will operate under a hub-and-spoke framework, and the institution will centrally deliver courses to various stakeholders. Through a single portal—in this case, the government's massive open online course portal, ''Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds—students are able to study their courses.{{Cite web |last=Rai |first=Anvittii |date=2023-01-07 |title=Explainer: All about National Digital University |url=https://www.financialexpress.com/education-2/explainer-all-about-national-digital-university/2939559/ |access-date=2023-07-07 |website=Financial Express |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Goreja |first=Rahul |date=2023-01-02 |title=India to Get Its First National Digital University in 2023: How Will It Work? |url=https://www.thequint.com/coronavirus/faq/india-national-digital-university-2023-date-degree-how-will-it-work-online-courses |access-date=2023-07-07 |website=TheQuint |language=en}}
NDU will be linked to the Academic Bank of Credits, enabling students to earn credits from various institutions and providing them with multiple exit points during their course of study. This system allows students to receive certificates, diplomas, or degrees based on their progress.
Since SWAYAM's inception in 2017, the outcomes have been discouraging in three aspects: the rate of course completion, student satisfaction, and faculty morale. A mere 4% of students who enrolled in courses have successfully completed them.{{Cite web |last=J Kennedy |first=P John |date=2023-05-23 |title=National Digital University:Promises and challenges |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/supplements/dh-education/national-digital-universitypromises-and-challenges-1221147.html |access-date=2023-07-07 |website=Deccan Herald |language=en}}