Future of E-Learning in India

Promising a better and innovation-centred education system

According to the Research and Markets, the online education market in India is poised to grow by $ 2.28 bn during 2021–2025, progressing at a CAGR of 20% during the forecast period.

The traditional education sphere has digitised and revolutionised the way education is delivered, processed, and perceived today. The main drivers of India’s growing digital market are an increase in smartphone users, easy internet access, and increased government intervention. All of these factors fuel the infusion of technology into the education sector in India, resulting in the creation of a model learning ecosystem that is making education more receptive.

Though the evident advantages of e-learning in India have a significant role in this shift, the Covid-19 outbreak has also made it a matter of urgency.

Due to the closure of schools, universities, and other educational institutions, online platforms have become the dominant teaching and learning tools.

With more than 260 million students enrolled in India’s schools and colleges, the country plays a significant role in the global education business. Our country is home to one of the world’s largest networks of higher education institutions.

There are numerous advantages to adopting online learning methods for the growth of the entire country. From the lower cost to the easy access to quality education even in distant locations, digital learning has an extra edge over conventional learning. In addition, students who attend the online courses confirm that they experience better information retention with attractive images and videos.

The Current Efforts and Endeavours

India has been working for several years to make education available to the country’s every citizen. However, the traditional learning system got disrupted with the sudden emergence of the COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdowns and social distancing. Going digital was the sole option left. Hence, promoting e-learning in India in every way possible became the priority.

Government Schemes

With the launch of several government schemes to stimulate the digitisation of classrooms, the students are being provided with better alternatives to learn from home. By introducing the online platform SWAYAM (study webs of active learning for young aspiring minds), learners can learn on their own and at their own pace virtually.

With the eVIDYA programme, apart from a one-stop solution for all learning needs of students, a special type of e-content is being provided for visually and hearing-impaired students. Under this scheme, a dedicated channel for education on TV is also offered to help students who do not have access to the internet.

NDLI (National Digital Library of India) is a single-window platform that brings digital repositories from India and throughout the world. And thus, it makes education accessible to students of all demographics.

An initiative taken up for remote experimentation for the first time in India, the Virtual Labs has over a hundred virtual labs comprising over seven hundred web-enabled experiments, designed for remote operation and viewing. In terms of IT-based education, this represents a paradigm shift, taking forward the future of e-learning in India.

Increased awareness in tier 2 and 3 cities

Online education is becoming popular among students in tier 2 and tier 3 cities. The foremost factor behind this widespread acceptance is the introduction of numerous initiatives to bridge the learning gap. Even though top educational institutions are absent in these cities, e-learning has enabled students to get quality content. Furthermore, with the advent of on-demand learning and exam solutions, students can even participate in cross-institutional competitions and improve their performance.

Some online education market leaders have also developed free training campaigns for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Difficulties in the Path

Although everything appears bright and in motion from most angles, there seem to be little grey areas in the path ahead. Especially in rural areas, there is still a lack of proper implementation of e-learning initiatives. Inadequacy of internet facilities in the far-flung areas and absence of other infrastructures such as laptops and smartphones are the major stumbling blocks.

Furthermore, educators must be trained with state-of-the-art digital techniques to make the most excellent use of these initiatives. This will also enhance the students’ engagement if their mentors are well prepared to solve any technical hurdle. The quality of some online content is also a bit questionable at times. Some critics of online learning methods also object to the student’s lack of long-term holistic development.

A Road to Look Upon

Online learning has become more prevalent in India due to increased digitisation and ignited with the current pandemic hit. But eventually, when this deadly cloud fades away, will the digital learning methods still be dominant in the education sphere? How far have we travelled and how far are we from our goal?

The object of making e-learning more reachable is to close the gap of the digital divide and overcome the limitations of traditional schooling. To ensure its effectiveness and long-term fruitfulness of e-learning is what we should focus on.