Unprecedented opportunity of online learning revolution

A recent KPMG report titled ‘Online Education in India: 2021’ has projected that the online industry is about to witness a stupendous eight-multiplier growth to earn $1.96 billion (Rs.12,574 crore) by 2021. This statistic summarises the fairytale growth experienced by online education in India in the new millennium. India is proving to be fertile ground for online education programmes. Indeed, there’s growing affinity towards online courses in India that is unprecedented in developing countries. Students and working professionals who are aware about India’s accelerated growth plans have clambered aboard the bandwagon by opting for online courses.  Right across the country, online education is transforming the way students perceive education. Earlier, they were expected to sit in specified classrooms for specified periods to acquire knowledge. Examinations also had to be taken on specific dates — missing them would mean the loss of a couple of months or even a year for students. This isn’t true any longer. Today students can choose to study from home or any place of their choice. They can also take examinations at a time of their choosing. Moreover, they don’t need to rely on paper textbooks. They can read course material, interact with tutors, take tests, complete projects and apply for course completion certificates online!   It’s also undeniable that the traditional bricks-n-mortar education system is struggling with limited capacity and is unable to provide admission to India’s ever-growing population of children and youth. Outdated syllabuses prescribed by certain universities also prevent thousands of youth from acquiring world-class higher education. Online learning solves this problem by permitting them to access the latest industry-specific courses that enable them to become experts in their subject domains. Yet perhaps the greatest benefit of the online learning revolution sweeping the world is that it makes access to expensive to atrocious buildings that house traditional colleges irrelevant. Online education obviates the need for brick-n-mortar campuses as people can complete their education without setting foot inside a campus. In June this year, there were 450 million Internet users in India. With a growing number of Indians likely to have access to reliable Internet connectivity in the near future, online education is set to become the preferred mode of education delivery. Students in rural areas don’t need to migrate to cities in pursuit of education. They will be able to learn at a convenient pace in their own habitats. Online learning will bridge the education divide that separates urban and rural India, ensuring equal education opportunities for all.  With hitherto secure jobs becoming redundant in the face of the inexorable march of automation and artificial intelligence, re-skilling and acquisition of new office and shopfloor skills have become a contemporary necessity. In-service training and re-skilling is best done through online — or preferably hybrid — courses. Inevitably, online courses are priced significantly lower than traditional study programmes delivered in classrooms. There is no need to print textbooks as well. Therefore, the economic benefits of running e-learning courses are usually passed on to students who…