BEAS RAlHAN tells PRAKRITI ROY about the rise of digital education in India, the importance of technology in teaching and its reception in India
Over the years, how has the industry expandedIJ
The growth of the digital education industry has been exponential. The online classroom market is currently estimated to be a $3.5 billion industry. Evolution of technology through cloud computing, data centres and virtualisation are all helping build a robust educational ecosystem which will further fast track the industry. The online education industry as a whole is estimated to grow to $40 billion by 2019.
Which schools are the ones that primarily use these facilitiesIJ
It is difficult to pin-point a type because schools have been extremely optimistic towards adopting these platforms. E-learning ensures a consistent, high-quality academic delivery that is not dependent on the ability of teachers or their skill set. In fact, over time, e-learning will enable them to raise their game and become better teachers. Tier II and tier III cities are as as excited about this as tier I.
Are your services present in Government schools as wellIJ
Next Education has partnered with State Governments to train and develop their teacher base. We have also partnered with several organisations to set up infrastructure and learning solutions in Government schools.
What more do you think can be done for digitisation of educationIJ
Government initiatives like Digital India are transforming and empowering India. However, basic necessities like electricity and Internet should reach every nook and corner. The Government is laying emphasis on the education sector through various programmes like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. NCERT has already initiated digitising their content as well as moving towards e-learning classes. Emphasis also needs to be laid on differentiation to ensure credibility. The Government can define criteria which a service provider needs to meet to be eligible to provide education services.
Do teachers also need to be trained to impart this kind of teachingIJ
Yes. Training is needed to make optimum use of the medium and make teachers confident of handling the product. The products lay emphasis on ease of use. Training is provided to help teachers understand that this product is a robust support system for them and decipher how they can best explore it. Digital education is not going to replace a teacher it empowers the teacher and enhances the student’s experience.
To what extent are parents open to technology-based learningIJ
Parents are extremely supportive. They understand it keeps a child interested in studies while also bringing standardisation in teaching. The dependency on a teacher’s ability to impart knowledge has been negated. Also, technology comes naturally to today’s kids and innovating our teaching methodologies with the changing times is imperative.
Is the hands-on learning approach of teaching betterIJ
Since inception, Next Education was determined to adopt a hands-on style of learning. In order to make the learning process easier we have created content in such a way that it requires a practical approach rather than just theoretical book enabled answering. A product like Nextlab gives more comprehensive and practical understanding of hands-on learning experience whereas NextERP is an integrated school management system which streamlines all processes, departments and functions of a school, and so on.
How does the future look for technology-enabled classrooms and schoolsIJ
Extremely bright. There is still 26 per cent illiteracy in the country as per census 2011. That means one in four children don’t have access to a book. From a year-on-year perspective, one can easily look at a 30 per cent growth for the sector for the forthcoming year.