CHENNAI: With an aim to promote the traditional therapeutic treatment system of Siddha across the globe, Anna University has decided to launch an online certificate course on it. The varsity will sign an MoU with the National Institute of Siddha and Hospital at Tambaram in this regard, and the latter will help prepare the course content.
Varsity officials said the MoU will be signed within 15 days once the course proposal is discussed in detail in the upcoming syndicate meeting, and the course is expected to be rolled out within two months.
Vice-Chancellor R Velraj said,
“It is necessary to promote the efficacy and usefulness of our traditional systems of medicine like Siddha and Ayurveda for the greater good of humanity. Siddha is very popular in Tamil Nadu and we want to popularise our heritage across the world.” Varsity officials believe people could use the learnings for their well-being apart from enhancing their knowledge.
Officials added that the syllabus of the course was ready and the content would be prepared in such a way that the course could be completed in 40-45 hours. The proposal for the course coincides with the university being invited to be part of the e-Vidya Bharati and e-Aarogya Bharati (e-VBAB) network project launched by the Ministry of External Affairs, which has an objective to provide good quality education to students in Africa through web portals. The varsity officials feel this could help them popularise Siddha among African students.
Along with Siddha and Ayurveda, AU also plans to launch online certificate courses on various emerging technologies like cloud computing, artificial intelligence, cyber security, and energy storage technology and is in talks with experts to chalk out the course content. These courses will also be rolled out in the next few months. The varsity launched its first online course in MBA in October 2021, which became an instant hit as over 200 candidates enrolled for it.