Diverse group of students in online UG programme, says IIT Madras – The Hindu

A diverse group of students from various socio-economic background, professions and age-groups have enrolled for the B. Sc. in Programming and Data Science course offered online by IIT Madras, the institution said on Monday.

The institution is planning to train students from government and government-aided schools in Tamil Nadu to increase their enrolment in the programme. Faculty members had met heads of 35 government schools in Chennai, where training is expected to commence from July.

Of the roughly 12,500 persons actively pursuing the course at the moment, more than 1,500 were from Tamil Nadu. They were not only from cities like Chennai and Coimbatore, but also from smaller towns and rural areas, the institute said. Around 200 had studied in government and government-aided schools. The institute was offering 100% scholarship to around 180 students from Tamil Nadu and 50% fee waiver to another 120.

V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said the unique programme was started to provide education of IIT-level quality to learners from across the country. “Data Science is a growing field and the demand for skilled resources in the market is very high. IIT Madras has a rich history of providing high-quality education and this programme is designed to underline the fact that IIT is within the reach of everyone,” he said.

As clearing the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) was not a prerequisite for admission, the institute said the programme benefited students from rural areas and from modest economic background.

Saravana Priya from Cuddalore district, who does not have a background in Computer Science and is now pursuing her foundation level of the programme, said though she was interested in data science, she thought she would not be able to afford the fee. “The scholarship gave me an opportunity to pursue this course,” she said.

Tamil transcripts of the video lectures will be made available, the institute said.