The Texila American University (TAU) now recognises courses completed by students on the online platform, Coursera, and has created opportunities for them to save time and money while learning there.
Director of Recruitment at the University, Mr. Sreebalakumar, made this announcement on Tuesday, at an event held at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development.
Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand said the recognition is a major advancement in education.
“That is the type of innovation that we’d like to see happening across the education sector. I would hope that the University of Guyana is going to pay attention and see how they too can use these courses that Guyanese citizens have done and have graduated in and determine how that could enhance what they offer as a University,” she said.
The opportunity for online learning through Coursera has its genesis in an initial agreement between the Education Ministry and the Commonwealth of Learning, in September.
The Ministry embarked on this initiative to provide educational opportunities for the nation, as part of a workforce recovery programme, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced school closures, hampering education.
“This idea that people can stay home and get qualified from universities that are renown across the world in more than 4,000 areas seemed to really capture the imagination of Guyanese,” Minister Manickchand said.
Currently, 51,000 Guyanese are registered on Coursera, some from as young as 13 years old, and as old as 70. Further, some 32,912 certificates have been issued to 8,054 students.
This means that thousands of Guyanese have upskilled to meet the demands of the growing economy and are more equipped with the skills needed for a dynamic job market.
Meanwhile, Executive Director (Ag) of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Mr. Joel Bhagwandin lauded the Ministry for its unwavering efforts in creating opportunities for learning.
In September, the Education Ministry, the Ministry of Public Service and the PSC inked an MoU to recognise the certificates.
Students at Texila American University, who have completed Coursera courses can benefit from the following:
1. Coursera courses as a prerequisite of the programme entry (Eligibility)
2. Students with non-science qualifications can use these courses as eligibility/prequalification for admissions for BBA [Bachelor of Business Administration] (minimum of four credits) apart from five CSEC subjects
3. Credit exemptionsDirect evaluation of the Course Model (Final Exam)
4. Students who wish to earn Texila credits can take the final exam using the defined credits of Coursera
5. Redeem your Coursera credits (fee discount programme)
Texila will redeem students who have qualifications from Coursera for courses for the BBA/BPH programmes. Each certificate will enable a student to receive a US$30-50 ($6,000-$10,000) discount from the total cost of the programme with a maximum of 12 credits.
