The education scene in today has challenges & opportunities.
Let me focus on three challenges and an opportunity.
• The first is a challenge of scale; we need to scale at least 10 times more; out student batch sizes are large; we do not have enough teachers. While technology to help in reaching the teachers is in place (EDUSAT, cable TV, e-Learning, broadband, PC..) we need a reliable and scaleable technology to assess; online assessment would be the real need
• There are technology challenges by way of broadband, PC affordability, power availability to power the PC, content creation tools..; luckily they are being addressed and the falling costs are making technology affordable
• The people challenges are enormous. The regulators view “online education” with suspicion; the teachers are afraid of losing jobs; sometimes the students feel they are provided “second rate” education. Most of these are myths and represent just “mental blocks:’ they must be solved before technology can genuinely help to “deliver” education
The opportunity is immense; Indians are accepted as teachers around the world – America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia. Today’s Indian IT is accepted around the world. Can we combine the both to give the next global opportunity for India (beyond IT and BT)?
(Invited Talk in Asessment Tomorrow Conference in Bangalore in October 2007)
