How will the digital India initiative influence the e-learning landscape in the context of educational and corporate training?
Digital India is a Government of India initiative taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The initiative was launched on 1st September, 2015, to ensure that online government services are available to Indian citizens. The main motto of Digital India is to transform the entire system of public services through information technology. The mission of this initiative as mentioned by Modi is “We want to have one mission and target: Take the nation forward – Digitally and Economically,” thus, improving the web infrastructure and developing better internet connectivity across the country.
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This initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is widely accepted in the United States. Technology giants such as, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and other similar agencies expressed their support to Digital India. In India, the education sector is transforming due to the increasing Internet penetration. Already, many private educational institutes have initiated digital classrooms and have included e-learning as part of their curriculum. This can be extended to more institutions, public and private organizations, with the government pushing digital technologies for quick and easy knowledge transfer to the masses. However, let’s limit our discussion to e-learning within the educational and corporate training context.
What does Digital India Have in Store for E-learning?
As indicated earlier, the Digital India initiative will add another dimension to the education sector and corporate learning sector. India has become the largest market for e-learning after the US, and the sector is expected to receive a boost from the government’s Rs. 1.13 trillion Digital India initiative, says a recent report by the UK-India Business Council.
Much has happened these days with rapid Internet penetration, availability of low-cost mobile devices, and the presence of a youthful workforce who are tech savvy; all these combined provide easy access to e-learning and this beacons a huge opportunity for e-learning companies to provide training for better skill development and knowledge empowerment.
Digital India not only limits itself to the periphery of urban areas but also makes its effort to penetrate the rural areas of India. There are many campaigns being conducted and it promises high-speed broadband connectivity across all villages. This is likely to change the facet of rural India. So, time has to tap the potential of e-learning to educate the rural population. You can educate the agricultural sector, especially the farmers, for better crop productivity.
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How does it Change the Paradigm?
Gone are the days of “chalk and talk” classroom training, where students are limited to the four walls of a classroom. With e-learning, learning can happen at any place, any time. You can flip through the screens in your smartphone or laptops.
Even corporate enterprises are focusing on social and collaborative learning. Other latest trends are mobile learning and responsive e-learning. Responsive learning allows learning, using either of the devices. The senior management of a company prefers the use of mobile for their just-in-time learning.
Cloud computing also adds value to e-learning. This provides flexibility and extensibility of learning; and adoption to thrive in the cloud gives better solutions enterprise wide in terms of integration.
How do Digital India and E-Learning Together Bolster the Business
Both have a far-reaching impact. According to the Docebo report, the worldwide e-learning market is expected to be 51. bn by 2016. The Ken Research Group report, ‘India’s E-Learning Market Outlook to FY2018 - Increasing Technology Adoption to Drive Future Growth’, estimates that the market should grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.4% over the period FY2013 to FY2018.
The key drivers for this market are as follows:
- Increasing government initiatives to promote e-learning
- The growing adoption of technology
- The shortage of quality education, and
- Convenience and affordability factors
Thus, with the Digital India initiative, e-learning looks more vibrant in the future.
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