IAMAI calls for formalising online education, subsidising fees for underprivileged

Internet and mobile companies' body IAMAI urged the Indian government to formalise online education and subsidise fees for the underprivileged by 15-20 percent for basic or essential e-learning services.

The industry body, whose members include education technology firms like Coursera, Vedantu, Udacity, and PluralSight, said the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) guidelines on online remote proctored assessments must be amended to facilitate assessments via credible platforms for all forms of online and digital distance learning programmes.

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Since the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, most of the schools and colleges have started online classes. While some state governments have opened up schools for teachers, many continue to operate the entire process online.

"With access and affordability being a major deterrent for poor students, firstly, IAMAI has suggested cheaper hardware/connectivity or use of common service centres (CSC), that will largely address the issue of access and affordability," the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) said in a statement.

There are around three lakh CSCs operational across the country that provides e-governance service to people in small towns and rural areas.

CSC e-Governance Services India, which manages CSCs, has also started opening pre-schools across India.

The industry body, in a submission to the MHRD, said India has one of the largest bases of internet users in the world. However, a digital divide exists between urban and rural users which need to be addressed on a priority basis.

"IAMAI has suggested subsidisation of fees, say 15-20 percent, for certain categories of basic and essential e-learning for the underprivileged sections of the society so that they can upskill themselves," it said.

According to IAMAI, there is a need to prioritise manufacturing and distribution of IT and communications hardware essential for providing education and prioritise access for children, teachers, schools, and edtech startups engaged in distance learning.

It further said all boards and universities must be empowered to offer courses online, offline, or in hybrid mode, with equal status of the degree or certificate earned through such courses.

"India has thousands of colleges and universities, but a very few have the infrastructure or resources to accommodate a 50 percent increase in students over the next 10-15 years. With scarce financial resources, to build new facilities or open new universities, enrolling students online is the logical solution to boost capacity," IAMAI added.