Online Education in India

The pace of technological development and concomitant introduction of new technologies into educational settings have dramatically accelerated during the past decade through the combination of computation, connectivity, visual and multimedia capacities. Miniaturization and speed have radically changed the potential for technologies in education. These developments are now making it possible for education to go online in India. This paper reviews the different benefits of using technology in imparting education and how this has led to the evolution of online education. Will education serve its purpose when served online or will it end up as another diploma mill?

E-learning or online education in India is getting good track because of number of internet users has increased. Almost half the population of India today is below 25 years of age and the number of Internet users are growing continuously. E-learning is also very much popular among young professionals. 

There is a huge student segment in India in the age range of 16 to 35, who are willing to study online. It is helpful from student and working professional point of view. The size of e-learning market in India is expected to grow from the current INR 105 Crore to INR 1,092 Crore by 2012. E-learning in India has been classified in three different tiers namely; tier 1, tire2, tire3 e-learning. Major players in this industry are TIS, NIIT, EDUCOMP, IBM INDIA, SKILL SOFT. These Companies provides education to the students and also provides product and solution to other sectors. Some of the well known institutions like IITs and IIMs are also providing e-learning facilities in India. Beside the said success challenges are still there in few parts of the country and they needs to be overcome, such challenges are like; Internet connectivity issue in many parts of the country, connectivity speed, language barrier, dependencies on class room based training, lack of skilled people. 

E learning in India has a good prospect and globally it has a vital role. Government is also contributing largely for betterment of this industry in India, and to initiate this, government has already taken few initiatives like; Advance Safety Diploma Course. Private players are also helping government in this matter. NIIT programs will enable students to acquire skills for the knowledge economy and will provide effective learning environment for children in subjects like Mathematics, Science, English and Social Studies with special tools to promote critical thinking and analytical skills.