The post-pandemic liberalization of higher education in India
Is online education as credible as the classroom experience? Does an online degree hold the same value as the campus one? These are some key questions grappling learners today. It’s high time we shed our reservations against online education and try to understand how we can benefit from it.
Online programs have been gaining popularity in recent times, with more professionals looking to benefit because of the democratised access to quality and the flexibility it provides. If anything, the ongoing pandemic has accelerated the growth of this medium and corroborated its efficacy in imparting quality education and training at scale. In fact, because of the pandemic, governments across various nations have realized the importance of online education now more than ever and have taken several measures to liberalize higher education by reorganizing online degrees.
In India, 37 universities have been recently approved by the higher education regulator to offer online degrees in an attempt to improve access to high quality education for all. These online programs and their pedagogy and learning experience they offer are not to be confused with distance learning courses.thanks to this landmark and progressive move, now professionals and students across the country will have access to ‘high-quality’ online degree programs from some of India’s leading universities.
The opportunity to earn a degree online opens up possibilities for candidates from remote areas of the country who would have limited or no access to quality education. The flexibility and affordability of these programs are among the other top reasons why an increasing number of candidates are opting for this delivery mode. In fact, this shift towards the online medium is thought to help reduce the dropout ratio of students post their 12th standard. The advent of online degrees will also help India improve its Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER), which is amongst the lowest globally and is a key indicator of economic potential.
The online mode of delivery also allows professionals to retain their jobs while pursuing a degree course which has been a prevalent concern for many young professionals in our country. The ability to pursue formal education while continuing to work and earn means that for many aspirants, they won’t have to make a difficult choice between education and employment. Several of these online degree programs have been so well designed that the absence of physical presence is more than made up for with the collaborative nature of the assignments and projects. Students are in fact encouraged to communicate and demonstrate collaboration, analytical problem solving and leadership skills, helping them to prepare for their dream roles.
Since online degrees will bring down the individual’s costs of higher education, it is set to improve the enrollment rates and build a better-skilled workforce for the country. Studies show that online education results in better retention of information and with technology creating an
interactive learning experience for online classes, it is safe to say that online education need not be subpar than classroom experience and it is only a matter of time when online becomes the preferred mode of learning for many.