The world is increasingly becoming online with practically everything being available on the internet. From the days of using the internet for email purposes to today, where people order food online to be delivered at home, we have come a long way. The availability of the web at affordable prices with increased bandwidth has contributed to its popularity. Among other industries and sectors, the education sector has benefited a lot for this online revolution. We shall discuss how online education is democratising the education sector in India.
Demand Vs Supply
India has seen tremendous growth in online education over the last decade and a half. Various factors contribute to this growth. The telecom industry has improved with the easy availability of 3G and 4G. Even 5G is around the corner. Smartphones and tablets have already replaced the computers and laptops at home because of the convenience they offer to the user. There has been a tremendous advancement in video conferencing technologies, and other technologies that enable seamless transfer of data. At the same time, the awareness among people to gain that extra bit of knowledge and ability to remain ahead in the race has also contributed to the growth of online education in India. Today, it is possible to obtain skill certification online and at the student’s convenience. There has been a spurt in the growth of institutions imparting online education to cater to this ever-rising demand among the people. UpGrad’s online certification course is one such educational endeavour to close the gap between the demand and supply position.
Factors that help to democratise education in India
What is democracy? Democracy is a broad term that encompasses every segment of life. In simple terms, we can define democracy as where people have the freedom to pursue what they want and collaborate with general society to achieve their goals. Therefore, we can state that we have a democratic education sector when education is available to every Indian down the line reaching out to the remotest of villages in the country.
The telecom sector has achieved democratisation in the sense that every Indian has access to the phone and the internet. This medium can help the education sector to become democratic as well. Online certification programmes such as UpGrad’s online certification can help in this regard.
Easy accessibility
We have discussed that the growth of the internet and the availability of internet-accessing devices has contributed to the online revolution in India. Hence, this supply of facilities has led to a tremendous demand for its usage. The education sector is also one of the beneficiaries of this revolution. There is a massive demand for online courses today in India for obvious reasons. Hence, there needs to be a corresponding increase in the availability of facilities to cater to this demand. UpGrad plays a prominent role in ensuring that the last Indian standing in the line gets the education he/she seeks to advance in his/her career.
Availability of the best facilities
The developed cities and metros in India like Mumbai, Delhi, and others have the maximum numbers of institutions providing high-quality education. You cannot expect every citizen from the remotest corners of the North East or the deserts of Rajasthan to come over to Delhi, Mumbai or any of the bigger towns to pursue higher education. Many issues can come in the way.
Cost is a significant issue for such students to move over to the big cities.
Time is another vital aspect that one has to consider.
There are other factors like cultural differences, family compulsions, and much more that dissuade students from availing the best quality of education.
If the student cannot come, the educational institution can reach the student to offer these facilities. However, the same factors, such as time and costs, can inhibit them from reaching out to the last person standing in the line.
Is there a solution to the problem? Yes, there is a viable one. Online education is the only way that can help to bridge this gap. Hence, you have institutions like UpGrad providing the vital link between educational institutions and the students settled in various parts of India.
UpGrad has tie-up arrangements or collaborations with the top educational institutions in India and abroad to help students located in far-off places to get access to high-quality education. Some of the institutes include BITS Pilani, IIIT-Bengaluru, NMIMS-Mumbai, University of Cambridge, Liverpool John Moores University, MICA, and the Institute of Management Technology, among others.
These academic partners offer certification courses in a variety of educational disciplines such as Digital Marketing and Communication, Data Science and Analysis, Big Data Engineering, Blockchain Technology, and so on. Interested students can pursue such online certification courses and enhance their educational qualifications to help them move up the corporate ladder of success.
Start-up entities benefit the most from such online certification courses, as it provides you with the option of pursuing specialised courses while carrying out your business at the same time. UpGrad offers various short-term certification courses for three to eleven months that can help people become more skilled and equipped to handle their business/industry.
UpGrad has different courses to suit your career requirements. It can help you at various stages in your career. Early career courses help to strengthen your base and even change your business line depending on your choice. The mid-career-oriented courses concentrate on developing leadership qualities among people to help them advance in their current organisations.
The most significant advantage of UpGrad’s online certification courses is that you can pursue them from the comforts and convenience of your home/office. Thus, by sitting in a remote village on the Indo-China border in Assam, you can acquire a technical qualification from an institution as prestigious as BITS Pilani. This convenience is what is meant by democratising the education sector. More students are becoming aware of such facilities, thereby ensuring last-mile connectivity that is the basis of development of any democracy. UpGrad plays a prominent role in creating this awareness and providing students with an opportunity to acquire certification/expertise in subjects from institutions they would never have dreamt of in their lives.
