Digital Learning Fosters Gen-Y Of Rural India

<p>Technology-driven learning is bringing a qualitative difference to education in rural and semi-urban areas of India. Although rural India has woken up to the online learning trend quite late because of the lack of a stronger mindset in smaller towns and infrastructural challenges, this issue has been gradually resolved. From mobile classrooms to online tutors, today there are hundreds of such startups passionate about transforming the education system in our country.<br><br>The introduction of digital education in rural India came with its own set of infrastructural issues. The erratic electricity supply and lack of access to educational facilities made the penetration of technology-based education tough. The incursion of cable television eventually changed the prevalent indolent way of thinking. The rural population is now welcoming the idea of using mobile devices and is equally comfortable in handling technology devices. Online learning or Live Virtual Classrooms (LVC) has paved the way for modern education in rural India. Moreover, the integration of technologies such as Cloud, Data Centers &amp; Virtualization into the education industry is making information available to the students from far-flung areas in just one click.<br><br>At present, the country has over 200 million people connected to the internet and the numbers are expected to reach 550 million by 2018. In such a scenario, the number of competitive exam aspirants is going to increase every year. These learners will not only increase the demand for good content but also easily accessible content, be it through smartphones or tablets. The advent of low-cost smartphones coupled with low mobile tariffs is empowering students from the small cities to go beyond making just phone calls and instead reap the benefits of data connectivity. The further expansion of the data service network in the country, alongside push on 3G &amp; introduction of 4G technologies, is adding to the data usage in rural areas that demand speedier connections.<br><br>International startups like Khan Academy, Udacity, Coursera, and StraighterLine have already tasted success in this category owing to their role in reforming the educational process with the use of video and advanced web platforms to make learning more affordable and effective. Taking a cue from their international counterparts, Indian online education platforms are following a similar path. They are providing unique advantages of digital learning like Video Content delivery, student-to-student interactions via video conferencing and virtual updating of textbooks to provide personalized attention to the new-age learner residing in the rural and semi-urban areas.&nbsp; Of late, there is a lot of focus on gamification. Interactive online and offline tools are being developed to modernize the segment. Offline tools allow the students to access content without any internet connection or connectivity as low as 100 kbps. Not every student from the smaller cities or remote areas has the luxury of using the internet to take coaching with a tailor-made solution for his/her needs.&nbsp; For such students, the offline study material is available at a certain price wherein students can avail individual modules in respective subjects.<br><br>Students from rural India value good education and are eagerly waiting to excel in the field. Technology intervention allows them access to the best possible learning resources from across the world, at a very affordable price. The developing wave of adaptive learning facilitates the students with various levels of intellectual capabilities to garner vital skills at their own pace. Numerous coaching centers have also started developing quality study material that can be disseminated on an online platform. This is increasing the success ratio of people learning on online platforms exponentially. Moreover, for a country that depends on the development of its educational sector for its economic and social growth, a surge in switching to technology-driven education will amply propel rural India towards empowerment.<br><br><em>The author, Aakash Chaudhry, is the director, Aakash Educational Services</em></p>