The best universities like Harvard and MIT, despite having the luxury of having some truly excellent teachers on their payroll, are increasingly embracing the “flipped classroom” format, where students listen to video lectures at home, and spend class time applying their knowledge, solving problems, discussing examples, etc. Professors guide that discussion and fill in wherever necessary, explaining those bits that seem to be eluding the students and throwing in advanced ideas that happen to be topical. These universities have made their video lectures available free for anyone in the world. They are also encouraging colleges and universities all over the world to integrate these online courses into their own pedagogy, picking the pieces that are appropriate for their needs and building a package around them.

Which one of the following statements best reflects the central idea of the passage given above?

Option (a) is incorrect: The passage does not discuss the superiority or inferiority of online education compared to conventional methods. Instead, it focuses on the luxury of universities choosing online education, without mentioning any judgment on the effectiveness of either approach.

Option (b) is incorrect: The passage does not address the pricing or accessibility of education; rather, it emphasizes the need to rethink infrastructure spending and develop a collaborative approach to education.

Option (c) is correct: The passage highlights the importance of restricting infrastructure spending, suggesting that universities should focus on supplementing existing resources rather than investing heavily in new infrastructure.

Option (d) is incorrect: The passage does not specify whether the focus is on public or private institutions; instead, it advocates for a collaborative approach to education and infrastructure development.