Bhubaneswar: Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) Deemed to be University added a feather in its cap even in the midst of Covid-19 pandemic which has affected all sectors including education.
SOA became the only university in eastern India to receive E-Learning Excellence for Academic Digitisation (E-LEAD) certification from QS IGAUGE for their excellent work in online education.
With schools and colleges being shut since the third week of March due to the nationwide lockdown, educational institutions have had to adopt technology and innovative methods for online teaching.
QS, the global rankings and ratings agency, through its India arm QS IGAUGE, had created a global best-practices document and methodology to conduct an audit of online education programmes of Indian institutions which have continued to teach and empower students through virtual methods.
SOA was among 12 institutions of higher education – and only one from eastern India — to be honoured during a virtual event on Thursday with Union Human Resource Development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal unveiling and presenting the E-LEAD certificates.
Thanking QS for the honour, SOA Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ashok Kumar Mahapatra said the university had shifted to online teaching immediately after lockdown was imposed. “Our faculty members are prepared to conduct exams online if the need arises,” he added.