NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras honoured 1,842 NPTEL Stars from South India at a felicitation ceremony held on its campus on July 10, 2026. The recognition celebrated learners who successfully completed and earned certifications in multiple courses offered through the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), one of the world’s largest Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) initiatives.The January-April 2026 semester recorded 36.8 lakh enrolments on the NPTEL-SWAYAM platform, while 10,763 learners across the country earned NPTEL Star recognition. Among them, 8,011 learners received the distinction for the first time. The South Zone accounted for 1,842 of the recognised learners.Recognition for sustained learningAn NPTEL Star is awarded to learners who complete and earn certifications in multiple NPTEL courses during a semester. Depending on the number of certified courses, learners receive recognition under categories including Believer, Discipline Star, Super Star and Mega Star.The January-April 2026 semester offered 973 online courses covering engineering, sciences, management, humanities and interdisciplinary subjects. Around 12.6 lakh learners also registered for proctored examinations conducted across more than 200 cities.
IIT Madras honours 1,842 NPTEL Stars from South India for outstanding lifelong learning achievements nationwide
Speaking at the event, Prof. Prathap Haridoss, Dean (Academic Courses), IIT Madras, said, “The true success of NPTEL is not measured merely by the millions of enrolments, but by the lives it has transformed. From its inception, NPTEL has sought to make IIT-quality education accessible to everyone, and today it stands among the world’s largest MOOC initiatives. Our NPTEL Stars are proof that talent exists everywhere when opportunities are made accessible.“Learners share their experiencesThe event featured several learners whose academic and professional journeys were shaped through NPTEL.Among them was Gokulapriya C, a three-time NPTEL Superstar and NPTEL Pre-Doctoral Fellow, who completed 23 NPTEL courses before securing admission to a PhD programme in Marketing at IIT Roorkee.She said, “I want every woman who wishes to re-enter her career after marriage to hear this: with determination, we can achieve anything at any stage.”B. Satyaramamanohar A, Head of Department and NPTEL SPOC at Bhimavaram Institute of Engineering and Technology, has completed 49 NPTEL courses and earned 19 Star recognitions. He said, “There are many online courses available, but NPTEL stands apart from the rest, for it is more structured, with good regular videos and assignments.”Fellowship and GATE initiatives The programme also highlighted the NPTEL Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, which enables outstanding learners to work with IIT faculty on research projects while receiving financial support.Another initiative showcased was the NPTEL-GATE portal, which provides free resources including live lectures, mock tests and previous years’ question papers. According to IIT Madras, several top-performing GATE candidates, including Biotechnology AIR 1 Arnab Paul, used the platform during their preparation.
