Education is considered one of the most effective, simple and universal tool of human (civilization) change from time immortals. Just few decades back, education was totally government sponsored and was considered as an essential commodity for masses and it has also come up to the expectations of people. Various policies and amendments (like NEP-2020) have been an integral part of education sector from time to time in order to make it more realistic with need and time. With change in time, education has always been a vehicle of change itself, changing from class room

educationto practical oriented, vocational and nowskill-based education. Education sector which was totally dominated by government sponsored infrastructure has seen a big paradigm change towards private education providers. Big, medium and small private education providers at present totally dominate this sector. It is really very surprising that the so called highly qualified, well experienced, appointed through all means of strict evaluation of recruitment procedures, the education providers in government sector are losingtheirshine with time and enrolment of students is decreasing very fast. The continuous low strength of enrolment in government run schools, colleges and higher education institutes/universities are assigned to various hypothetical reasons like young generation is not interested in education, going abroad etc. but on the other hand, enrolment in privately run schools, colleges and higher education institutes/universities is always on the rise.

There are a number of private school organizations like Delhi Public School (DPS), Vasant Valley, Scared Heart etc. and institutes/universities like Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT), SMS University, Amrita University, Bennett University(just few to mention here) which have maintained their reputation and are still growing very fast. Here, I would like to mentioned few cases with respect to Punjab in particular where the situation of enrolments in government run educational sector is really worrisome where as the enrolments in private sector are always on the rise. Private schools in general are always overflowing with admissions whereas government schools are at the verge of closure due to low strength of students. In case of professional education, few institutes/universities to mention like Lovely Professional University (LPU) Jallandhar, Chandigarh University (CU), Chandigarh, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, Chitkara University and many more like these are catering to a large number of students. It is said that LPU and CU are having enrolment of more than about 50,000 students in each. In case of B.Tech., LPU and CU have about 8000 students each in B.Tech. first year and out of these about 4500 in computer discipline only. Thapar institute even charging about 25lakhs for a B.Tech. degree has also about 4000 students in B.Tech. first year out of which about 2500 students in computer discipline only. The scenario in government run institutes/universities is just opposite. In spite of low education fees, good infrastructure & environment, good facilities, competent faculty, total autonomy, transparent system, the enrolment in courses like M.Tech., M.Sc., Ph.D. courses in many disciplines is minimum and some of them are at the verge of closure. Even in case of B.Tech. and diploma courses, 50% seats are lying vacant and this situation is not very different to highly reputed educational institutes like IITs, NITs, IIITs etc.

When the founder of Infosys Mr. N. R. Narayana Murthy, hinted that the working hours should be increased to 70 per week, there was a strong criticism from all private and government organizations. Private sector may be right in opposing the idea as they say to be already working for long hours during present five-dayweek and think that it will be more stressful to work for 70 hours in a week. In government run system, the scene is different, people are not working even for 2-3 hours per day sincerely. The situation in education sector is worst where there is no accountability about the learning of a student and its outcome. With growing autonomy in education sector, most of the teachers are just helping the students to pass the degree leading towards un-employment. Freedom (no accountability) in government run education sector organizations is the key for their low performance. Entry to government sector may difficult but can be manipulated by many means, and after that an employee is the boss who never thinks about the survival and wellbeing of his organization but only is concerned about his career and leisure/comfort. It is to mentioned here that quality entry to government sector is already down sized by government supported policies like: reservation, equal opportunity to women, localization etc. These types of policies in case of private sector may be on paper but they never compromise the working of system. Here, it is important to mention the selection process in case of a private university. In this university, applicants were put to five stages of their interview process as: presentation in the department, interview by a HR, interview by a language expert, interview by a panel of experts, and finally interview by the Head of the University or his/her nominee with the conditions that the candidate can not resign from the post during the semester. He/she will be relieved by the end of semester and that also by giving three months advance notice. He/She has to submit his credentials (testimonials) to the university, if not, he/she has to deposit two months salary in advance as a security. Working atmosphere in private education sector is totally demanding whereas in government, people are finding one or the other excuse to shun their duties and there is no check or monitoring on these people. In private set up, every class is monitored with CCTV cameras, an in case of any violation of duty, late going to class or early leaving the class or just passing time in the class all are observed through CCTVs and immediate action is taken against the defaulter. Mobile is not allowed to a teacher in the class in private sector, whereas, in government sector this tool has become a best excuse to avoid the teaching during ongoing class.

With in a very short span, private sector has overtaken the education and things will further worsen with the entry of foreign private universities in India in the times to come. This change of paradigm will definitely bring new avenues of education to people who can afford it (education) but will also make the education difficult or a day dream to marginalized section of the society. This will create a big divide between educated and education-less or low educated society. Need is to make the government run education sector more effective, productive and outcome oriented. For this, there is a need to change the years old non-effective rules and regulations/policies governing government run education sector. Instead of making it (education) a charity show, it should be made such that people prefer it (government) to private education sector and for these lessons might be learnt from private education sector itself. Need is to make each and every teacher responsible and accountable to the learning outcome of his students.

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upGrad, Asia’s higher EdTech major is revolutionizing the online education space by taking its Lifelong relationship with its learners up a notch. The EdTech major launched an exclusive online community platform -upGrad Alumni Network (UAN), a first in the industry/higher-Ed space to help its learners in every phase of their career progression by bringing to them a host of career development services.

The upGrad Alumni Network is a one-stop online community portal that allows upGrad Alumni to find and discover other members and schedule/organize video meetings, avail of 1-1 mentorship, register & attend alumni events, apply and post jobs, access to resources library, etc. all at one go. The platform is available to the vast alumni pool irrespective of the location to come together and harness the true potential of the vibrant & diverse upGrad community.

“We are thrilled to launch the upGrad Alumni Network –  a dedicated online platform that is exclusive to our culturally rich alumni community who are sitting out of multiple geographies across the globe. While our learners have already completed a part of their learning journey with us, it is our due responsibility to empower them with the best of career-driven services. Therefore, this initiative will be a game-changing moment in supporting our alumni community with quick networking and career-building opportunities. As we progress from here, we are sure that these members will be able to unlock the true potential of this highly engaged network,” said Mayank Kumar, Co-founder & MD, upGrad.

The newly launched platform reaffirms upGrad’s commitment to being the LifeLongLearning partner for every learner and promises to be with them at every stage of their professional journey.

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A semester project on water poverty made him delve into the issue comprehensively and research on the subject of water crisis which is not paid much attention. Though he cleared the IIT JEE Advanced too, but his interest in the research field impelled him to join IISER. Being an average student in academics and an avid chess player, he cleared exams for the top technical institutes through continuous efforts.

For his CAT 2021 preparations, he completely relied on online learning material and YouTube videos. His preparation strategy did not include studying from any books or handwritten notes. He managed to get 100 percentile in a short duration of a few months by solving 4 to 5 mock tests every week and self-studying with dedicated efforts.

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UNext, a next generation online learning organisation and a subsidiary of the Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG), today announced the launch of its operations to offer high quality and affordable digital higher education solutions for learners across India. UNext will focus on programs catering to the higher education ecosystem by delivering online degrees, professional e-learning courses, and digital assessments with best-in-class content and technology stack.

Speaking on the occasion, S. Vaitheeswaran, Group CEO, MEMG, said, “Our focus has always been to empower learners and transform lives through high quality, affordable professional education. With UNext, we’re excited to take the Manipal legacy online. Now learners anywhere can access online degrees, industry relevant e-learning courses, and gain new skills and knowledge needed to become competent individuals and professionals to succeed in the world today. In fact, UNext will be one of a kind ed tech platform to offer online degrees and programs, coupled with digital assessments.”

UNext is focused on revolutionizing the education sector by providing students access to a high calibre education platform through intuitive technology that will enable their potential to thrive in a dynamic world. UNext works with deemed universities, Institutes of Eminence, reputed academia and industry leaders to create innovative education solutions with industry relevant curriculum, skill-focused development programs, and scientifically designed academic evaluation options.

Speaking on the launch, Ambrish Sinha, Chief Executive Officer, UNext, said, “Our deep understanding of the education ecosystem coupled with a strong technology stack and quality content will enable learners anywhere to greatly benefit from our online degree programs. Our focus is building on a strong platform that makes learning in a digital world easy, seamless and on the go! We truly want to replicate the offline learning environment in an online world. And UNext is uniquely positioned in the marketplace to do just that.”

UNext allows an immersive learning experience through a mobile-first LMS platform, access to world class faculty lectures – synchronous and asynchronous models, new age pedagogy, online quizzes and assessments, access to a wide alumni network, and expert assistance and career counselling to boost students’ career opportunities. UNext is the only EdTech company in India that provides end-to-end education solutions from online degrees and programs to digital evaluation and examination management services.

UNext enables future-focused learning opportunities in the higher education ecosystem to be accessible by individuals and enterprises through online university degrees in collaboration with reputed Indian and global institutions through Online Manipal, professional upskilling programs in data science and emerging technologies, and digital assessment and examination solutions for corporates, governments, and educational institutions.

UNext will offer specially curated courses through partnerships with reputed organisations known for their scholastic prowess and quality of pedagogy, such as Manipal University Jaipur, IIM Indore, FutureSkills, NASSCOM, and HackerU.

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Days are gone when an individual wants to learn something he/she would sign up at a bricks-and-mortar institution and attend classes physically. According to KPMG report, online education market in India is at USD 247 and is estimated a growth of 8x over the next 5 years and will reach USD 1.96 billion mark in 2021.

“Globally this is changing for example EY and PwC in the UK now do not ask for a university c o m p l e t i o n certificate – they ask for specific skillsets which could be obtained from a university or an online portal,” says Suchindra Kumar, Director, Advisory Services, Ernst & Young LLP

40 per cent of the four million workforces need to be reskilled in the next five years to stay relevant. For major scale of entry-level job, automation is a huge threat

As per Global Shapers Survey of 25,000 young people from across the world, 77.84% of respondents reported having taken online courses in the past.

India too is also preparing huge section of population to upgrade the skills. Threats from automation and skills have scared a huge section of organized sector especially among IT professional. This lead to increase in the average learner per month. Corporate are betting high on up skilling of their employee. According to NASSCOM, 40 per cent of the four million workforces need to be reskilled in the next five years to stay relevant. For major scale of entry-level job, automation is a huge threat.

Another reason for higher adaption of online degree in India is due to convenience factor, shorter duration of courses, flexible timing, ease of understanding with videos and interactive designing with reasonable price.

A joint report by enterprise technology learning company, Pluralsight and market research firm KANTAR IMRB, found that about 97 per cent of IT professionals believe in upgrading their technology skills. As much as 74 per cent of them have taken part in learning programmes in 2016.

Online course domain has seen a relentless growth in past few years and will see double fold growth in the upcoming future. India stands 2nd in rank of learner base after USA as per Coursera activity and under the age of 18 – 39 years, global present of leaner is 83% while India itself covers 93% of the whole user consumer. Indian is an education hungry market for the online industry for institutional or individual clients. A report from British Council forecast that by 2025 India would have the biggest student-age population in the world.

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Let us first understand, what is online learning?

In simple words, online learning is the learning acquired digitally. All the content is available online and can be accessed by the user anywhere and anytime through laptops, computers or mobile phones. Also, the content is usually delivered to the user with the help of audio-visual elementsand gamification.

To help you make an informed decision, you could try different things to see where your interest lies via an online training. You might wonder – Why should I enrol for an online learning when I could easily learn in an offline center?  To help you understand better, we have listed few advantages of online learning below.

Convenience:

Offline learning is location based and you have to travel for the entire duration of the training. Moreover, if you miss a few classes it will putyou behind in class. Whereas, online learning won’t require any travelling and can be pursued from your home. This way, you will end up saving your valuable time and money that you might have spent on commuting.

Flexibility:

Offline learning is time bound and you can only attend those for a fixed timing and beyond it, the teachers might not be available. Online learning on the other hand, works on the principle of learning as per availability. You might have taken the class in the evening a day before, but you can take it in the afternoon the next day without any time restriction. To be able to study and learn as per availability and pursue other things as well will help you mould your own curriculum and grow exponentially.

Affordability:

Offline centres have to have an accommodation and incur various miscellaneous charges thus increasing the cost of the training. However, in online learning, you have to pay just for the cost of learning and thus making the effective price quite low.

Balance between theory and practical:

While studying, the best practice is to apply the lesson learned to practical aspects. Offline learning requires a commitment hence you cannot pursue anything else and even if you do, it gets difficult to manage multiple things at once. In contrast, online learning is convenient and gives you flexibility. You get to understand the theory and delve into the practical aspects through the it. This would also help you in getting an in-depth knowledge about the topic and work on various projects.

Further to the advantages online learning offers, the various ways in which it helps a student understand the topic while ensuring  an overall development have been listed below.

1.       Test and assignments:

Online learning consists of various test and assignments to apply the knowledge learned after each module and realise the topics that you need to work on.  The tests and assignments are designed in the form of games and quizzes, thus breaking the monotony and making learning fun and effective.

2.       Projects:

After the completion of the training, it is essential to analyse how much you have learned and the projects meant to do just that. It incorporates all the key areas of the topic learned thus providing you with an opportunity to self-evaluate.

3.       Get your doubts cleared:

Online learning is meant to acquire new skills and it is normal to have few questions about the topic being taught.  Students usually hesitate in asking the questions in classrooms whereas in online learning, you are an anonymous user and your doubts can be asked without hesitation. Finding answers to your questions will make the process of learning, effective.

In a nutshell, no matter what you pursue, you still have a choice to do something new and make a career in. So, let go of your inhibitions and take a leap of faith!

About the Author:Sarvesh Agrawal is the Founder and CEO of the Internshala, an internship and trainings platform. (Internshala.com)

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