Independence Day: Online learning platform, upGrad announces 10% fee waiver for armed forces, families

Taking a small step forward to help the armed forces in our country, upGrad, the online learning platform is honouring the Indian Armed Forces personnel by initiating a fee waiver of 10 per cent across every programme offered by the company starting Thursday, on the occasion of India's 73rd Independence Day. The fee waiver is not just available for the personnel but also to their immediate kin. The initiative, that came into effect from August 15, 2019, is a lifelong offering by upGrad. 

The team says that the move by the online learning platform, is in line with the vision of the company to be the career transformation partner for every Indian and empowering them with an opportunity to build their career in the domain they wish to. 

Online learning is perhaps the most convenient option for Armed Forces personnel and their families to up skill, as physical relocation does not impede the continuity of education, reiterates Mayank Kumar, Co-founder and Managing Director, upGrad . "The mindset of lifelong learning is not limited to only those who are in a tech or a management field right now and wanting to switch jobs. It’s applicable to all who are simply curious to discover and be a part of a larger world out there. The momentous impact online education can create was validated when I met one of upGrad alumni who had dropped out of formal education and moved to building a career in the Indian Navy. Re-skilling empowered him to work as a data scientist today at one of India’s largest OTT platforms," says Mayank, who hails from a family with members serving or having served the Indian Armed Forces.

Mayank adds that the occasion of Independence Day was apt to launch such an offer.

We have been contemplating this for quite some time now, we had spoken to some senior army officers also. We have a team that focuses on education for them. We never got around to decide when we should start it. Then we saw that a lot of people do not get access to quality education like others because they are posted in remote places around the country. So, these reasons led us to the conclusion that there is a need for us to offer something meaningful to the armed forces so that they can benefit from it even after they retire or are no longer serving

Mayank Kumar, Co-founder and MD, upGrad

The decision to apply the fee waiver for the immediate next of kin was decided by looking at the overall structure of our armed forces, says Mayank. "The biggest chunk are jawans, who come from a weaker economic background. They are a major part of the force, so extending this offer to the families came from the fact that if officers want quality education they can afford to send their kids to places for higher studies. But for jawans, who have a comparatively lower salary, hail from a weaker economic section, this offer will make it easier to fund their child's education. That was the major thought behind this," he adds.

In order to avail the waiver, one has to produce documents that state they are working in the armed forces and for the next of kin they can avail it by producing their dependent card, which is given to them if their parents are serving or served in the Army. "This is one of the many initiatives upGrad is taking to make learning accessible to a deserving talent pool, be it through the means of merit-based scholarships or a fee waiver to give back to those who give us the most," concludes Mayank.