Thanks to Rajiv Gandhi's doctrines backed by his technical
advisor Sam Pitroda, the personal computer arrived in India in the
early 1990s. Suddenly we witnessed a flood of computer classes in
the metros with everyone signing on for courses in DOS, Wordstar,
dBase III and Lotus 1-2-3. Most of these institutes have long
closed shop, or evolved into ‘Learn English’
institutes. Others cater to professionals with specialized training
for animation, graphics, game development, Java, .Net, Oracle, BPO,
management etc. When cable television arrived in the 1990s,
enterprising coaching classes set up dedicated channels for
distance learning. Then VSAT technology extended this to remote
regions. Now it’s digital television with service providers
beaming educational programs for school children into homes and
schools. And that was how ICT (Information and Communications
Technology) saw its roots in Indian education.
In recent years we witnessed many radical changes and rapid
growth in the education sector. This is due to several factors, and
the one factor that needs to be mentioned first is India’s
telecom success story. Thanks to extensive telecom coverage and
affordable rates, bandwidth and Internet access is available pan
India. The Internet offers many free tools for audio-visual
instruction. State governments too have got their act together and
are joining hands with private solutions providers and NGOs to use
ICT for education.
Another driver is the high level of PC penetration among
students, especially in the metros, thanks to a significant
reduction in hardware costs, and the increased usage of open source
applications.
With the introduction of new education policies and the opening
of the Indian education sector, we are seeing increased
participation from overseas universities, many of whom are setting
up operations in India. It’s only a matter of time before
Yale, Harvard, Oxford etc are here. Meanwhile, the demand for
business degrees or skillsoriented courses is soaring. Distance
education courses are popular once again, thanks to the
Internet.
 |
"Educational institutions are focused on deploying IT
systems that will enable them to improve the educational process
for their students and stay ahead of the
competition”
- Nilotpal Chakravarti, Senior Research Analyst – Vertical
Markets, Springboard Research
|
Teacher salaries (in government schools) are poised to increase
following the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission. Hiring
is expected to pick up with the entry of more private players who
will help set up new schools.
High percentages are a priority for Indian students training their
sights on that highly coveted IIM or IIT seat. To ensure this we
spend USD 50 billion annually on private education.