IIT Madras felicitates 1,842 NPTEL learners from South India

CHENNAI: The Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) on Friday honoured 1,842 learners from South India for their sustained academic achievements through the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), highlighting the growing reach of technology-enabled education and continuous upskilling across the country.

The learners were recognised at the ‘NPTEL Stars’ ceremony held on the institute’s campus. The distinction is conferred on individuals who consistently complete multiple NPTEL courses and earn certifications across disciplines over several semesters.

Of the 10,763 NPTEL candidates recognised across India during the January-April 2026 semester, 1,842 were from the South Zone. As many as 8,011 learners earned the recognition for the first time. More than 550 SWAYAM-NPTEL Local Chapter Coordinators from the South Zone will be felicitated on Saturday for expanding access to online learning.

Addressing the gathering, Prathap Haridoss, Dean (Academic Courses), IIT Madras, said the programme had fulfilled its objective of making quality technical education widely accessible. “The true success of NPTEL is not measured merely by the millions of enrolments, but by the lives it has transformed. Our NPTEL learners are proof that talent exists everywhere when opportunities are made accessible,” he said.

The January-April 2026 semester saw NPTEL offer 973 online courses in engineering, sciences, management, humanities and interdisciplinary subjects through the SWAYAM platform. The courses attracted 36.8 lakh enrolments, while 12.6 lakh learners appeared for proctored examinations conducted in over 200 cities.

The institute showcased several learner success stories, including Gokulapriya C, who resumed her education after a career break, completed 23 NPTEL courses and went on to join IIT Roorkee as the first NPTEL Pre-Doctoral Fellow to transition into a PhD programme. Among other achievers recognised were Satyaramamanohar, who has completed 49 NPTEL courses, Koneru Gopala Krishna of BITS Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, who has completed 99 courses across 10 domains, and S Henry Kishore of Sri Krishna Arts and Science College, Coimbatore, who has successfully completed 101 courses.

IIT-M also highlighted the NPTEL Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, which enables outstanding learners to work with IIT faculty on research projects, and the free NPTEL-GATE portal that supports engineering aspirants through lectures, mock tests and previous years' question papers.