Virtual classrooms making India a knowledge economy
Though Indian education system drastically lags behind the developed countries, but it is taking on a whole new dimension . Virtual classrooms,introduced in India, though are not popular , but in the recent years will surely gain popularity..
CJ: Chitra , 21 Apr 2008
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Comments:0 A discussion on ’Virtual Classrooms- A Key to make India a Knowledge Economy’, tried to find answers to this question. The discussion forum was organized by WiZiQ, an online learning platform. www.wiziq.com
Harman Singh, CEO, WiZiQ said, “Virtual classroom is the answer to the shortage of quality education providers, not just within India but also abroad. There is a huge demand of Indian teachers worldwide. Indian students travel miles, to developed nations, to their pursue higher education, but with new age technology and knowledge sharing platforms India is observing a reverse trend. Virtual classrooms though at a nascent stage in India, may provide a solution to the excessive demand of brick and mortar learning institutes.”
“Although brick-and-mortar institutions still dominate the educational landscape, online education has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years in developed countries and the trend is sure to catch up in India with increased high-speed Internet connections and a growing global appetite for inexpensive, one-on-one tutorials,’ added Harman.
The discussion also highlighted many aspects of Indian educational scenario including the booming coaching practice.
“Coaching practice is growing highly commercial in India, preparations for entrance examinations of IIT’s, IIM’s and other institutes of repute, attract about 60 lakh applications, who spend an average of nearly Rs12,000 each on coaching, amounting to Rs7,200 crores per year”, said Kamal Wadhera, CEO of Top Careers and You, a coaching institute serving students through correspondence and online portals.
Manoj Tyra, author and mentor of vedic mathematics shared his experience of teaching on WiZiQ. He explained, “The platform enables simulation of face-to-face interaction with the student while maintaining the control, with the teacher. It enhances the teaching experience with its advanced features like whiteboard, audio-video, content sharing and text chatting. In fact, next to cloning, virtual classrooms could be the best solution to the shortage of quality education providers across the globe.”
