Technology is now touching every aspect of the society and has brought about a sea of change in every area. An essential and indispensable aspect of society has also been influenced by innovations and discoveries, the Indian education sector. In the past few years, e-learning has emerged as a powerful contender to the traditional learning methods. Several online courses are educating thousands of students on a variety of topics, and as a result, the overall experience of e-learning in India is likely to change. Though e-learning in India is at a nascent stage as compared to developed nations, it is still growing at an impressive rate of 55 per cent. A practical tool for the development of the education sector in India, here is how e-learning will affect the various facets of the nation’s education space:
Economic benefits of e-learning:
When it comes to the challenge of educating the next generation of Indian students, e-learning comes forth as a critical component that can drive meaningful change. With edtech ushering in a new wave of change in the Indian education sector, the market of online education is only bound to grow. For this reason, it is safe to assume that e-learning will play a critical role in bringing forth a generation of professionals for a new, knowledge-centred education economy. Once graduates are prepped for such jobs, they will have a significant impact on the nation’s economy.
Improving the knowledge and skills:
It is a point of no debate that an educated workforce will create greater economic output. However, a vast majority of India’s prospective workforce also resides in villages. It is therefore not surprising why many leading figures of the country’s independence movement believed in equipping rural masses of the nation with proper education. Their education would not only go a long way in propelling the country’s economy but would also help in improving their overall living standards. In this respect, the advent of e-learning has added a new tempo to the efforts of providing an excellent education to the country’s rural populace.
The widespread use of mobile phones in India’s villages has given ways to new vistas in the access of knowledge and skills. As a result, various districts and states in the country are now harnessing the power of e-learning to train their youth. E-learning can now also be used by the rural students to prepare for competitive exams like JEE, CAT, CLAT, IES, IAS, etc. For example, Andhra Pradesh has launched a large-scale e-learning program to impart among the rural youth the skills needed by rural and agro-based industries. The education sector in this state is making the best utilisation of video-based modules which train their learners in state-of-the-art technologies of poultry farming and dairy processing.
Bridging the lack of skilled instructors:
The economy of the Indian education sector is also affected by the dearth of experienced instructors. However, the advent of e-learning is transforming this scenario for the better. Students who were unable to pass the prelims for UPSC due to lack of resources and teachers can now resort to e-learning for their preparation. Many educational institutions in the country are now using pre-recorded lectures delivered by experts to overcome the challenge that was posed by the lack of skilled teaching staff. For instance, faculty members of India’s leading technological institutes like Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have delivered a series of video lectures on a web-portal called the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL). The NPTEL programme allows engineering students to access these web-based lectures free of cost, and thus provides them with the freedom of place and time to acquire knowledge and skills to become job-ready.
Overcoming the problems of outdated educational content:
While the education sector in India has made spectacular leaps in the past few decades, the fact remains that most of the syllabus offered by institutes of higher learning is mostly outdated, and cannot be used to meet the needs of the present industry. These obsolete curriculums have a severe impact on the employability of graduates, as they lack the necessary knowledge and skills to meet the educational requirement of the companies. However, e-learning modules are slowly solving this problem. Educational institutions need not look for supplementary courses, which would not only involve extra cost, but would also require skill training on the part of the teachers. Instead, institutions can use e-learning to impart the necessary skills needed by students to make them thrive in the corporate world, that too at an affordable cost.
When it comes to the Indian education sector, the process of imparting education has undergone a garangutan change. Education has evolved a lot from its earlier methods of rote-based learning to the present day innovative e-learning methods that leave a lingering impact on impressionable young minds. Coupled with the Digital India agenda of transforming India into a digitally powered society, the economy of the Indian education sector is at a point of witnessing a tantamount growth in the years to come.
