Online Education Going Viral

Vishnu Dutt Sharma May 09, 2020

India has entered its fifth week of lockdown owing to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis that almost the entire world is grappling with. Due to the ever-increasing cases of the Coronavirus, it is hard to anticipate when everything will get back to normal but one thing that appears true is that it does not seem to happen anytime soon.

The government will also review its decision to close schools and colleges till 15th May and might extend the same depending upon the severity of the situation. The global organization, UNESCO has estimated that more than 1.3 billion learners around the world were not able to attend school or university as of 23rd March 2020.

Amidst such unprecedented times, many private schools, colleges and other educational institutions have switched to digital platforms and have started providing online classes to the students. This has ensured continuous learning and has avoided the students from bearing the brunt of the current situation. Given this, many coaching institutes have also adopted an online model of education to provide seamless learning to the students.

Top engineering and business schools, including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), are also conducting classes through the virtual mode of education. Professors, teachers are working from home and conducting classes to minimize the impact of this disruption and the hardship caused to students.

India's education sector has seen significant potential growth in online education due to the ongoing crisis. The current COVID-19 situation has opened new corridors for online education and is expected to alter the teaching process in the near future. The user base for the online education sector was expected to reach 9.5 million by 2021, which is now expected to further shoot tremendously with the ongoing situation.

E-learning is empowering pupils to stay at home and continue their studies. Educational institutions are using this as a chance to provide online learning to both the current as well as prospective students. Various Educators including offline players have started taking virtual classes on digital platforms. They are connecting with students through LIVE lectures, master classes, sending practice materials, assignments through emails. Moreover, they have also built resilient mobile apps that the students can use for comprehensive learning provided by these educational institutions.

Many traditional players who have been in the education sector like 33 years are also conducting regular online classes to keep students ahead in their preparation for IIT/NEET and JEE examinations. Backed by their experienced staff and teachers, they are solving the queries of students twenty-seven-four. They are ensuring seamless learning by conducting live sessions, doubt sessions, providing practice materials, assignments, and mock papers to students so that they can utilize this extra time effectively.

Through online mode, institutions are providing good quality education; anytime and anywhere, and effectively leveraging the potential of ICT in teaching and learning processes.

Coronavirus outbreak is a tipping point for online learning. A lot of traditional and Edu-tech players have seen a good amount of surge in online user base. Parents, teachers and students community are getting accustomed to this new learning format which is further adding to its popularity and acceptability.

Currently, the whole world is standing at a juncture where our lives will be divided into two phases; Pre-Corona and Post-Corona. The current pandemic has posed several challenges to mankind but has also opened new vistas of opportunities and online education is clearly one of them which also seems to be the way forward. It is now time we all come together and build strategies that ensure continuous learning. The need of the hour is a multi-pronged strategy that not only helps the educators and students to sail through such difficult times but also builds a robust education system for the future world.