Annual Refresher Programme In Teaching (ARPIT) - Objectives, Benefits, ARPIT Exam Eligibility & Registration

The Ministry of Education officially launched the online Annual Refresher Programme in Teaching (ARPIT) on 13 November 2018. It is an online professional development programme of 15 lakh higher education faculty using the SWAYAM (Study Web and Active Learning by Young and Aspiring minds) platform of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). 

For implementing the ARPIT, the government identified 75 discipline-specific National Resource Centres (NRCs) in 2018 and 48 discipline-specific NRCs in 2019. The NRCs prepare online training material focusing on the latest developments in the discipline and emerging trends, improvements and methodologies for transacting revised curriculum. 

The Ministry decided to rerun ARPIT-2019 courses in ARPIT-2020. The training materials are uploaded and available through SWAYAM. The Ministry of Education has entrusted the National Testing Agency (NTA) to conduct an examination under the ARPIT for faculty learners.

Benefits of ARPIT

Faculty can use certificates issued under the ARPIT for their career advancement since the certificate is the equivalent of a refresher course recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC). Even non-faculty learners will be given certificates from SWAYAM. The UGC recognises the ARPIT course for Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) benefit.

ARPIT Exam

The exam is an entirely Computer-Based Test (CBT) with three hours duration. The question paper will consist of only Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). The examination date and schedule will be mentioned on the official ARPIT website. The applicants can download the final score/marks card and certificate of the ARPIT exam from the website.

A learner/applicant can choose only one course out of the 48 courses of the ARPIT 2020 exam in each slot, i.e. they can appear for a maximum of two exams across two slots. Learners doing multiple courses should ensure that the courses they choose for examination are in different slots. 

Eligibility for ARPIT Exam

The ARPIT exam, conducted by NTA, is designed for faculty learners to upgrade their skills. However, non-faculty learners wishing to enhance their knowledge can also appear for the exam. The learners (faculty and non-faculty) enrolled in any of the 48 courses are eligible to appear for the examination of that course only. Only learners registered for the ARPIT courses and who have undertaken the course training will be eligible for the ARPIT exam.

Registration for ARPIT Exam

The eligible applicants can register for the ARPIT examination through the link provided on the official website or the NTA Exam website. On the registration form, they need to fill in the details, upload the documents, pay the fee (if applicable), and submit the form.

Documents Required for ARPIT Exam

The following are the documents required for faculty learners:

• Photograph
• Signature
• Relevant proof of being a faculty member, like faculty ID proof, latest pay slip, appointment letter or promotion order
• Identification proof, like voter ID, PAN card, passport, driving license, Aadhaar card or college ID

The following are the documents required for non-faculty learners:

• Photograph
• Signature
• Proof/certificate of learner belonging to ST, SC, PWD, OBC, women, EWS or transgender issued by competent authority for a concession of fee
• Identification proof, like voter ID, PAN card, passport, driving license, Aadhaar card or college ID

Fees for ARPIT Exam

There is no exam fee for a faculty learner working in an Indian higher educational institution. The examination fee for a non-faculty learner for each course is Rs.1,000 for general candidates and Rs.500 for ST, SC, PWD, OBC, women, EWS, transgender or PwD candidates with disability of more than 40%.

Around 37,199 teachers were trained in 2018-19 under the ARPIT programme, whereas 1,46,919 teachers were trained in 2019-20.