Since the economy is under lockdown, it is losing on a mammoth of spots, this pandemic has assuredly taken a toll on the businesses and services. There may be a crisis of jobs for the new pass-outs, there will be many who will lose their jobs or businesses and this may lead to the brain-drain kind of situation. However, this area is very grey as of now as people will fear to settle and work abroad due to the global disturbance, this will highly be based on how soon our economy will be able to revive. The overall crunch of finances may hamper the research going on in the sectors other than healthcare. Healthcare is the prime concern for any nation at this point and India is no different. A major chunk of the government-treasury has been targeted towards the maintenance, advancement, and innovations of the medical and healthcare domain, and this is not appearing to be over soon. The government so far has not taken any decision on tax-relief either, they have come up with any other initiative to boost and incentivize education technology or skill-technology as such. Also, this pandemic has changed the face of the education system, it has shifted the system which majorly relies on physical classroom setup to an online one and the current GST rate of the online courses is 18%, this will impact the entire system to a great extent. Lack of scholarship funding schemes, no tax-credit for the corporates towards the expenses they incur to train the employees will make the area even more exposed. There is a lot to do and the government and private institutions both have to come up with some major plan of actions to minimize the impact this pandemic has tossed on the sector.

There is no denying that even after introducing several programs/schemes/policies to uplift the standard of the Indian Education system there still exists the scope to do much more. Indian Higher Education has been suffering already for years, and the outbreak of pandemic has even made the area critical and sensitive. India is already in the 3rd phase of the lockdown, although the regular classes have been substituted with the online classes still there is a lot which is at a miss. There are several inter-dependent areas to this sector which will bore the after-effect of this lockdown. Stock market losses could significantly affect philanthropy and other finances impending towards the institutions. The outlined risks are impacting nearly all colleges and universities, although the magnitude of risk will depend largely on factors such as geography, number of out-of-state and international students, and mix of programs and funding sources. Potential Job losses and income reductions may make the financial aids and grants insufficient for the upcoming year and this may create additional financial pressure on the institutions to make up for the shortfall. Funding online education and programs may get a lot of attention, as this may be the next big shift in the education sector. Institutions that can further rationalize the funds into online investments  and it will likely be better positioned to survive and generate revenue, and needless to say to reduce expenses in the years to come.

2) Technological Impact on Higher Education

The availability of resources/technology and the accessibility of the same are two different aspects. The literacy rate here, plays a great role as the usage of these tools and techniques need a certain level of articulacy. As the internet is relatively new in India, there still exists a gap that is difficult to bridge. Smartphones, laptops, and the internet are not new for today’s India but still, there is a very small portion of the population who is aware, skilled, and competent to use these available resources for academic purposes. The same goes with the institutes as well, there are very few institutions and academic centers in India who are equipped enough to function its curriculum on, online mode.

Tools & Techniques like audio-books, presentations, e-learning along with the platforms like ZOOM, Google Classroom, Hangout meets, WhatsApp/phone learning has definitely helped the sector to keep going. Apart from this Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, Machine Learning has the power to change the scene. Platforms like Skill-share are coming with advancement and with a motive of skill development and personality enhancement which should not be compromised by staying behind the 4-walls. Digital devices have made the penetration easy but the expenses attached to it, is still a challenge to meet in India. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality for learning are already gibberish, these advancements have given the power to function even after being in an emergency for this long. We need to learn and practice the optimum implications of these technological advancements to cope up with the situation and to deal with future threats. India is the 2nd largest market for smartphones, immediately next to China with over 220 million active users, so the internet and data usage will not remain a massive challenge in the future. Learning is no more confined to a particular source or channel, now we do have multiple mediums to explore and exploit, the learning management system (LMS) can be considered a good example of this, it helps students to log in and access the course material. Similar to this the Synchronous Learning method allows real-time engagement while Asynchronous learning offers more flexibility. Various websites and platforms have enabled the learners to delve into the medium of their choice and have given them the edge to choose, verify, and grasp. This learning is not only confined to the curriculum rather it opens the horizon of gaining knowledge and has given a sky big aspect to the learning process as a whole. One can easily learn and look into other facets of education after all, in the modern world it’s not only the bookish knowledge that keeps you apart. Grooming oneself with the vocational courses and other interests is the demand of the time, as students are taking interest in learning different languages.    

3) Impact of Internationalization

COVID-19 has proven to be an unprecedented challenge to the education industry and is certainly going to affect internationalization at various levels. India is the 2nd largest source country for international students globally, just after China. Intensity to what extent it may affect the education sector can only be identified once the situation will be settled into a definite state. Lockdown and Pandemic may make it a reality that- rather than going to places to study and avail the exposure, the campus (virtual campuses) may approach the learners. There may be a humongous rise in online and virtual classes, study-abroad plans of the students may be kept on hold or they may be compelled to reconsider the prospect altogether. As the situation may remain like this for a few upcoming years, students may opt to study closer to their home or staying domestic may be the new trend. Institutions may have a cat-race to come out with low-cost quality education and the universities may come-up with additional specifically designed courses to attract students at a global platform. Studying abroad may not be considered as fancy as it is today. Post-lockdown there may arise a need to encourage the Indian institutions to have their establishments in foreign land and attract more world-class education institutions to have their centres in our homeland. Also, partnering with institutions abroad may become the pressing priority, at the same time a platter full of faculties from different diaspora could be a new thing. The navigation and interconnectedness of global education could be seminal to keep the education system going, the role of educators and those who impart education may get re-defined. As per a study by the Internationalization of higher education research (IHE) team at Manipal, 7 out of 10 students have already dropped the idea of studying abroad. Institutions may come up with an increased number of seats to meet the newfound increase in the number of applicants. The institutions may need to place and position themselves differently, attaining global ranking may not be the target for many institutions as the parameters to judge may shift to a great extent. The physical classroom may also encounter the conversion and may turn into a fully/ partially or hybrid online classroom to maximize its reach. Faith and confidence can only be gained at an international platform by expanding national education capacity, enhancing public services, developing a globalized workforce, and building mutual trust between nations. However, the low living expenses, unique indigenous cultural, traditional offering, cultural and religious diversity can act as a catalyst and may perform as a “pull factor” for the internationalization of Indian higher education.

4) Impact on Employability

The world was expecting a recession for the current financial cycle and the COVID pandemic has stamped it even deeper on the financial aspects of the economies across the globe. No country has been spared from this novel virus, nations as capable and flourished as The United Nations, UK, Italy, Spain have been facing the burns. India being a developing nation has emerged as an ardent, as far as the fight against the virus is concerned. In Fact we are efficiently serving as a pharmacy to several economies, India is running in the 3rd phase of the lockdown and it has steadily affected many sectors. There are several small/young entrepreneurs, manufacturing units of small and medium scale, vendors, labors, domestic help who has been majorly hit by the lockdown. Every organization/institution has different suffering and thus have different ways to deal with the prevailing issues, many have been terminated from the job, facing the salary slash and many have to sacrifice their salaries for a couple of months or so. The young learners who have completed their degrees in the recent past session must be facing challenges at various levels, the lockdown has already eaten up the existing jobs and services, and organizations are already struggling to manage their existing manpower. Employment at the time, where both products-based and service-based sectors are scuffling for their mere survival, employability could be the hindmost aspect to think for many. The volume of average annual packages, volume of overall hiring, skilled workers, the entire recruitment process, mode of work, technology usage, everything is possibly going to witness a shift in the general working sphere. The industry may face a stagnant phase as an after-effect of the lockdown, sectors will take their own time to revive their function and reassure their revenue generation. The delay and suspension of regular jobs and employment may push and compel the prospect earners to seek other ways of earning and this may lead to the evolution of various new job capacities. For example, nowadays an engineer or one who is gadgets and technology savvy can earn by putting the information and product reviews over various media and social channels. So, this crisis may give birth to a new era of employability, after all, it’s an old saying that “necessity is the mother of invention”. Also, job seekers can utilize this lockdown phase to brush-up their skills and brainstorm their core strengths. Job seekers may formulate a planner for themselves to channelize the leeway time productively, it will also help them prepare for the post-lockdown phase. The future employees can make a list of their interests and then shortlist the prospect professions on that basis, later they can choose for the courses available over various sources to sharpen the skills and it will ultimately give them an edge.  

5) Impact on Enrollment

There is already a delay in the session and as of now, the new sessions have been declared to commence from the 1st August 2020, the mid-term exams have been kept on hold and in many institutions the authority is yet to take the decision on this. The inability to make up the financial aids parallel to the set targets to the sector may result in enrollment shortfalls, governments may encounter challenging decisions as they try to mitigate or suppress COVID-19 outbreaks. These may have a direct impact on enrolment, we are already navigating in the unprecedented crisis, when and where to enroll can be the next big question. A boom in educational counsellors and enrollment specialists/agents/centres could be a new prospect business. There may be fewer visits to the campuses and people will look for more alternatives, faculty and non-teaching workforce may experience a surge in the workload. Students planning to take the admissions for higher studies may consider the option of dropping the year and diverting their time and resources to enhance their other employability skills with various online courses and consultations. The families, students, and faculty can unite and implement a plan-of-action to minimize the impact of coronavirus on enrollment. 

Institutions along with its workforce should come at the forefront and take the charge by preparing itself with various measures to establish an environment of acceptance, assuredness, and conclusiveness. The program can be introduced by initiating protocols for screening and sanitizing the premises, launching hygiene practice campaigns, up-grading and promoting e-learning/ online learning practices, and up-scaling distance learning programs. Later, recovery can be managed by putting the adjustment with the academic calendar (which certainly needs more clarity from the government and other decision-making bodies in due course of time). Collective effort and redundancy measures can help in the disposition of effective policies to the domain 

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1.)   Impact on Education Funding 

The Indian government has allocated 99,300 crores to the Education sector, which includes 3,000 crores for Skill Development under the Union Budget,2020. Infrastructure, funds-deficit, scarcity of efficient workforce, limited resources, and low penetration of technology have always been a tight-spot for India.

Funding can be attained in 4 different ways: –

a.) Government Funding

b.) Private Funding

c.) Funding through different foundations

d.) Funding through Professional Organizations

By 2030 India claims to have the largest population of working-age, which is quite staggering, India as a nation should boost its formulated strategies targeting this sector, or else, we will be left far behind. Here, funds crunch can be considered as the most prodigious ailment- the sector is lacking grants and aids from the government leaving the sector highly unstructured when it comes to the money deposition. The private sector is struggling due to the cut-throat competition, limited sponsors, and aids whereas the government institution has its circumspection. This pandemic has delayed the money generation and flow already, and India can expect a testing time ahead. Apart from being conventional, our education system can be considered as expensive as well, for example- institute like IIM Ahmedabad charges 23 lacs for a 2 year MBA program, which anyways is quite heavy on the pocket for an average Indian, and the current situation has already restricted the incomes of the parents, and has derailed the up-coming placements as well. The infrastructure of the education sector has improved a lot in the past decade but still, there is a lot to improvise- as infrastructure is crucial to attracting the students from across the countries, to have the best of faculties, and to stand parallel to the world-class education. As the scenario is changing institutions have started focusing a lot more on the commissioning and maintenance of their base and premises. Institutions which are having plans to invest, improve, or establish the infrastructure may be compelled to reconsider their plans and decisions. Foreign/ domestic investments, grants, aids, scholarships everything will be under the radar and only calculative scrutiny can help the institutions to come up with the most favourable outcomes. 

Few Recommendations to overcome the immediate funding related issues

 a.) More agencies/proposals should be introduced to back-up and support the educational institutions, in their capital expenditure and infrastructure development,

b.) More support should be extended to increase the investment in the Education sector, and thus improvising the global rankings.

c.) Research and R&D programs should be encouraged and promoted to convoke with global standards.

d.) Due to the COVID pandemic, there will be a shift in the contribution of the companies to the CSR activities. The education sector should come up with new ideas and theories as a whole and work towards channelizing the contribution tactfully   

e.) Scholarships and relaxation on taxes needs to be re-considered

2.)     Technological Impact on Higher Education 

We can have at least the basics of human survival going because of the technology and access to the knowledge/information we are having in today’s time. No information and technique are distant in this era of internationalization, the pandemic is certainly going to affect the entire education system in the long run and who knows if the new techniques of learning will become the soul of the education system in the future. Technology is the sole resource that has made the virtual mode of education possible in this pandemic. Online education is not new in India but certainly is less penetrated due to the lack of access to technology by the major portion of the population. The pandemic has compelled the world to reinvent the years’ old education system. Technology plays a vital role in the modern education system, India has always been conventional, rigidly structured, and process-driven with its education system, it also lacks practicality and exposure to what European and western education offers.

However, things are changing at a great pace. Technology in education has evolved to a great extent in the last 20 years thanks to globalization and privatization, it has turnaround more in these years than it has in the entire century. I-pad, tablets, smartphones, desktops, laptops, speakers, microphones, in-built cameras, etc. have made the entire process impactful and interactive. Audio-visual medium, power-point presentations, animation software has made the process seamless to a great extent. As per a report by KPMG- the Indian online education industry will register a 6X growth in 2021. From 1.6 million users in 2016, it will grow to 9.6 million users by 2021 with a worth of $1.96 billion. India has come a long way and the entire education system has seen a turnaround era of advancement and development. Be it Higher education, scientific researches, technological advancements, up-gradation in technology, advancement in space science, nuclear power, healthcare advancements India has consistently proven itself across the areas. Setting out from the micro level to the macro level, research, and development in the field of technology has created an ideal niche for the overall growth of the economic condition of the country.

Areas that need attention: –

a.) The wide gap in technology penetration

b.) Accessibility of technology is a challenge

c.) Lack of awareness and over-all literacy

d.) Education system’s rigid approach, makes innovations usage difficult

e.) Imparting practical knowledge and exposure should be encouraged

 3.) Impact of Internationalization 

 Globalization has bought a rapid rift in the Indian economy and it is growing like never before, this has proven India to be the most promising and emerging market in the entire world. India is the hub of a maximum number of intuitions across the globe, the number itself makes the entire sector huge and complex. COVID-19 has bought the entire world to a stand-still situation and has imposed a lockdown almost across the globe. In such a situation, technology has been proving to be a blessing for mankind. It’s only because we have various mediums to interact, we can see around, stay connected, and know, what is happening where? Since. So much is happening in the technology and education sector, there has arrived the need to re-evaluate and re-address the basics of the education sector. The process, the curriculum, and syllabus which was structured years ago can’t be considered enough for the current alpha generation. Change is the need of the hour, and there won’t be any surprise if this current situation will change things forever. The pandemic has forged a situation that has contrived us to realize that there still exists certain mien that humans can’t take a hold on. We need to revise and rethink the pattern used for imparting education. Apparently, the alpha generation has been abreast of the technology and is much more confident with the global changes. Interestingly as per a study done by Dell Technologies report, 85% of the jobs by 2030 that generation Alpha will enter into, have not been invented yet. And according to a World Economic Forum report, 65% of primary school children today will be working in job types that do not exist as yet. The impact of internationalization can be divided into four broad categories- academic, economic, political, and cultural. The majority of academic institutions in India are not equipped to host a significant number of foreign students, due to the outdated curriculum with little focus on global trends. The absence of adequate accommodation for international students and staff, infrastructure, and other imperious resources has made the area grey. 

 Findings & Struggles to the Education sector-

 Indian higher education system can be broadly categorized into the Government and Private sector and mostly both of them run on different tangents. The idea of globalization and internationalization is different for private and government institutions also, there exists a vast gap in the quality as well. Be it infrastructure, faculty, standard admission processes, campus life, or any other facet for that matter. Except for the IIMs, IITs, and the few other institutions that held the prime importance to the nation, most of the other institutions are neglected and are not facilitated with the best of the industry. While most of the government sector institutions fail to take major notice and are left ignored, the private sector has come-up with manicured infrastructure with all the possible commercial ways of growing its finances with no promised and assured quality. Since the sector is huge, complex and un-organized to a great extent, India needs to come up with a plan where both the private and government sector can work hand-in-hand and thus contrive the overall status of the Indian Education System, with an ultimate goal of bringing it at par with the global standards. Also, as there is expected to be a dip in the number of students going abroad, obviously the prospects will look around domestically for the courses of their interest. This may create a boom in the sector and there will be a rise in the demand, and thus new institutions will appear in the coming years. Those who are existing already may consider increasing their number of seats or come up with expansion in the potential-departments/courses/location or the research areas. This will raise the market share and will create a competitive environment that will lead to the need for marketing to position and stand out.

4.) Impact on Employability

The World Bank expressed in a report, on the impact of COVID-19 on migration and remittances-

“In India, remittances are projected to fall by about 23 percent in 2020, to USD 64 billion – a striking contrast with the growth of 5.5 percent and receipts of USD 83 billion seen in 2019.”

COVID-19 has led the world towards the global recession, almost all the countries in the world are suffering and contemplating the ways to cope up with the peril. Employment has always been a problem area for the Indian economy. We are the nation with the 2nd largest population and also, have the 2nd largest workable age population in the whole wide world. India has been struggling with its employment generation rates since forever, close to 90% of the working population in India is engaged in the informal sector. It’s an irony to the nation that a country that owns the burden of one of the highest numbers of child-labor scuffles to make the jobs available for the age-appropriate. COVID pandemic has made the situation even more shoddy. There is a large segment of the unorganized informal sector in India that includes laborers, construction workers, factories-mill workers, vendors, house-helpers which will suffer the most and are at greater risk.

Our economy is expected to lose over 32,000 crores every single day during the first phase of the lock-down and has affected almost 53% of overall businesses significantly. Derailed services of supply chain and logistics have greatly affected the farmers who majorly grow perishables. Hotels, tourism, aviation, young start-ups are the segments bearing the dip extensively and the situation doesn’t seem to revive for some time even after the lockdown is over. Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) have been affected partially as they have shifted their operation majorly towards the essentials during the phase.

The lockdown is undoubtedly proven to be the need of the hour, but it’s consequences are going to be catastrophic and desolating. The economy will need quiet some months if not years, with a range of strategically designed plan-of-actions to subsist this whirl. Former RBI Chief Raghuram Rajan has said that the- “Coronavirus pandemic in India may appear to be the greatest emergency since the Independence”. The novel threat has slacked the chances of new jobs into the market, those who already have jobs in hand are facing the offer-revoke, the existing employees are witnessing salary slash or are fearing the layoffs/terminations and the freshers are in a plain dilemma of where to start. This pandemic has not affected one particular sector, industry, or area of the economy rather it has bought the nation-wide or better to say global turbulence. It has been said that the world is never going to be the same again. Whatever may be the situation, sooner or later things will be settled and the world will find the way out. Maybe the world may need to change its approach and its working mechanism forever. But certainly, this crisis will take the employability to a different dimension, what is existing may seem to be obsolete and non-existing could take the front seat. Research, pharma & healthcare, skilled-experts from the industries, R&D, Big data, machine learning, robotics, and AI-related jobs may see a boom in the future. There may come numerous areas of jobs which are unknown and unrevealed to mankind at present.

 5.) Impact on Enrollment

 India is conventional in its approach when it comes to education and since higher education nowadays is an expensive experience; it involves a lot of concerns and variables which a student and the family consider, before calling it a final decision. The process may seem to have a couple of areas that are already in practice during the enrolment processes. However, we can’t deny the fact that we are still skeptical in this era of digitalization, we still hesitate to rely completely on the virtual experiences and if the experience is costing us the money, time, and the way our career will take the shape, we become furthermore susceptible. Anticipating completely on anything which is intangible and not concrete is difficult for us.

But the time is changing, COVID-19 has paced the speed of this change. And we have to compete with this make-over to survive and to retain ourselves from becoming obsolete. Enrolment has changed to a great extent in the past couple of decades, thanks to technology. The current enrolment process in India is a blend of online and in-person collaboration however, we are in the time where we have to come out with these inhibitions and accept and implement the current trends. The rise of this need is not just to cope-up with the existing parallel world, rather it should be considered more as the need of the hour. We have compiled the few findings with the context of this COVID pandemic impact on enrollment across the nation.

Potential impacts that may be triggered due to the pandemic crisis: –

 a.) Cancellation of major competitive exams to study abroad like TOFEL, IELTS, SAT, ACT, GMAT may reduce the access to standardize tests/exams

b.) There may be further suspension and delay in various exams and admission processes

c.) Trans-national and Trans-continental enrolment may face a steep dip d. Study abroad programs and cultural-exchange programs may lose its charm

e.) Institutions may find it hard to pocket and manage their wealth

f.) The pandemic will have a demographic, geographic, cultural, political, and geopolitical impact on the overall enrolment process

g.) The proximity of the institutions/universities will be of prime concern to the students and families

h.) The way an institution will reposition itself with the fast-changing scenario due to the virus will play a decisive role

i.) Intuitions that broadly rely on foreign students, maybe shambled acutely

j.) Several students enrolling abroad will plunge and vice-versa. This will push the domestic institutes to increase their number of seats for the enrolment- and this will further increase the competition

k.) Campus visits and tours may seem a long-lost affair, virtual visits will be the encouraged trend

l.) Social media will become the stage to showcase and represent

1. The teaching workforce will also expand their reach and horizon

n.) Virtual classes with a blend of students from places (different countries) would be the future

o.) Funding and sponsorships for the institutions and students will change its dimension. 

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The Pandemic has been proven to be crucial and assertive to mankind and the economies worldwide at various levels, it has ordained a cincher on the GDP. This also has grossly grieved the key macro and micro-economic indicators like- M2(money supply), consumer price index, oil prices, inflation, employment, spending power, housing, etc. The United Nations, Europe, and China wrote about its worldwide spread and impact on developing economies. This explosion of the virus has left the world unprepared about several facets in general and has distressed the world globally, which has pushed mankind to be contained at home. Healthcare, infantry & security, medicine, education, agriculture, businesses of all scales, nothing is spared and thus it is termed as worse than the world war itself. As many as 4,196,784 cases have been identified as on 11th May 2020, the numbers are alarming and appalling.

Social-distancing, Social-isolation, and Lockdown are the only known ways of precaution of this pandemic, countries have dived into the research related to the procurement of this malignant virus. The education sector is one aspect which is considered to remain unaffected by the recession in general, simply because people don’t tend to barricade themselves from learning rather, they focus more on the education and grasping knowledge during these hard times. But this time, the unprecedented virus has brought the recession to the education sector as well leaving the campus premises vacant, blocking the students for & from abroad, scrunching the mode of imparting education, leaving the industry workforce and students bewildered. It is estimated that as many as1.725 billion learners have been affected due to school and institution closures. This had made this sector vulnerable and uptight.

Current Status and newfound challenges

The education sector was one of the very first sectors coming under the radar of Pandemic precaution and lockdown. Initially, the board exams were delayed and later the entire education system aligned with the government declaration and decided to keep its functioning, on hold for an unknown tenure. Ultimately, the entire exams, admissions, job-placements, work-force recruitment everything got delayed, the sudden lockdown took away any possibility of the leeway for the institutions to prepare themselves for the changing mode of the education. Pandemic like this was never estimated, India and several other nations will certainly have some major after-effects of this lockdown in the future. Herewith, below we have listed the issues India is facing or will encounter as an after-effect of the pandemic. We will look through the major challenges at both the macro and micro levels in detail.

The objective of the article

COVID-19 has perplexed the world and forced the nations to deal with a fathom of primary and secondary requisites, shifting the world’s functioning as a whole. This has created an environment of uncertainty and delay across the sector. So, to encounter such aspects we have taken the step and have tried to structure a series of articles to acknowledge and register the current status of Indian Higher Education and its comprehensive impact. This particular article will consist of three further compositions. The three up-coming segments will be published with-in the due course of time and the content will come under the subheadings of: –

1. Impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education at the Macro level,
2. Impact of COVID-19 on Higher Education at the Micro level,
3. Impact of COVID-19 on the industry workforce and major findings/conclusions.

Major challenges for Indian Education- 2020 (Due to COVID-19)

Indian education has always been considered conventional and traditional in its core approach, however lately, with the technological advancement our education system has managed to endure and become acquainted with modes like- online learning, LMS, asynchronous and synchronous methods of learning. Withal, the usage of these modes was very limited and the percussion was quite apprehending, also the lockdown has shifted the course of several processes, almost overnight. So, the very first facet that came into account of the sector was to put the regular on-campus classes on hold. This leads to begetting the E-learning classes to the mainstream and later the regular exams along with the competitive once got either delayed or suspended, similarly, annual convocations of various institutions, new admissions, their recruitments were kept on hold. International student exchange programs have already taken an all-time dip and placements may also face a major disruption, students hoisting education loans or under debt running are in a tight spot.  Challenges are not only prevalent for the learners rather, but it is also affecting the workforce, admin, and the entire management of the domain. The digital gap in India has made the online penetration test plus the deprivation of technology and resources has made the situation even more strenuous. Access to the laptop, desktop, internet, and other resources is not something that everyone is facilitated with and the workforce is in the ordeal to prepare with the study material, putting it across different channels and mediums, collecting assignments. The entire process has become lengthy and thus faculty is left with more work to do before-hand. There is also an expected dip in the number of Indian students applying to foreign universities and vice-versa.

 Findings and Recommendations

1. Online teaching has never been proven more important, as millions of students are relying on the e-learning platform during this pandemic-lockdown.
2. Those who work and research in the education sector are in the safest space, and that makes them confident concerning the future aspect.
3. There may exist different opinions for different sectors on how COVID-19 is going to affect them, but when it comes to the education sector- more or less the responses are similar. Coronavirus has affected the India Education System but the intensity can be rectified only once the intensity of the virus will fade down.
4. As per the reports, AICTE has cancelled the summer internships in the companies, which was earlier mandatory for most of the higher education professional courses.
5. Exchange programmes, which are designed for exposure and experiential learning have been kept on hold for un-definite time frame.
6. Campus recruitments and placements will take a huge dip this year
7. Campus proximity may stand over the overall offering of the institution/university
8. Online Education needs a lot of attention in India. We need to be more prepared in terms of technology and efficient utilization of resources, for any future threat

As in any other industry, the education industry also will face a concentration of power among the small number of brand names and the flight for the quality will prevail. Universities and corporates can collaborate more in the future to exceed the stakeholder value. How will the world look and function post-corona? Well, no matter how many times we would be questioned to understand this upcoming phase of the future, we are left with some vague and blur imaginations. It’s a crisis and must be having an end at some point or other but till then the world has to learn to make peace with it. We need to accept the fact that at the moment staying safe is the top-most priority and challenge for any society and nation. Whatever the future maybe, but the current slowdown will provoke to have a more accelerated future, for sure.

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India is one of the first few countries to take the step of implementing a nationwide lockdown. It is a courageous step for the economy and certainly the only effective way to protect the world’s 2nd largest population from this fatal disease. Life has to go on and education is one such aspect that cannot be kept on hold for long. The scenario has bought a lot of change and has shifted the regular physical classroom setup to a virtual one. For many it may be the first experience of their life. Online teaching is not a new practice but it is certainly new to become the only possible practice as for now. In most of the countries the regular in-person classes have been facing a halt and the virtual classes have taken the space. To make the lockdown a success, the government has taken several measures, schools and institutions/universities were the first one to receive the orders to put their functioning on hold. As the days have passed the institutions have come up with online classes to bridge the gap and facilitate the students with the study materials.

Online classes have become the sole mode of education these days, and is as new to the teachers as it is for the students. There is a crisis for expert services in the education industry and there are very few Academic Search Firms who are competent enough to up-hold with the complexity the education industry offers. We are one such expert, who has established itself as an undisputed leader in the said domain. EduShine Advisory is a Higher Education Recruitment strategy consulting firm with the prime focus on Higher education at the national and international level. It works with more than 60 academic institutions and corporate bodies with stakes in higher education. We at EduShine have always made sure to facilitate our clients with boutique services which are exclusive in nature. Being a maiden academic search in India we rejoice to extend our role in contributing some of the premium institutions and academic bodies. We help them have the brightest academic and administrative resources. EduShine does believe that every client has different requirements, challenges, concerns, objectives, and goals. Thus, we cater our services with a thorough study and back it with extensive research that makes our services distinctive and unparalleled. Since we consider our clients as partners, we do realize their twinge and concerns. And thus, to help our clients with this arduous situation, we have come up with 10 tips to maximize the efficiency of the virtual class.

Ten tips for first time online teaching professors

10) Prepare in advance

Well, preparing yourself in advance gives an edge to the entire delivery process. Being prepared in advance with the study material, audio clips, videos, presentations or anything for that matter can add up to the regular course and can really make the entire process more engaging. Virtual classes certainly take away the charm of a physical classroom set-up and makes the professor- student engagement is more promising. Also, sticking to a well-defined syllabus may prove to be  effective and will restrict the chances of losing out with the flow during the process. Staying prepared beforehand may rest you with the lew-way to encounter the student’s doubts and queries. Keep your content organized and crisp to the point.

9) Encourage 2-way communication

Keeping the students involved may appear to be the biggest challenge during the virtual class. Structure the entire process into a 2-way divulgence. Sticking to a structured course and material will only prove to be effective, if it is delivered in a two-way-communication process. Deliver your lecture in a manner that the students feel to have a scope to interchange their ideas. Allow them to have a dialogue and come up with the response so that students feel involved. Converting the lecture into an interactive session may prove to be a win-win for the delivering as well as the receiving end.

8) Prepare yourself with required equipment and technology

This one aspect has the charge and power to ruin or intensify the entire game. To make an online class a success, one has to have a proper working system which primarily includes a laptop/desktop, internet/broadband, a camera to see, may be a mic to deal with the clarity of voice, proper lighting, a comfortable sitting arrangement and a mute backdrop. Omit every possible distraction and keep the study material in place. Apart from the equipment which are tangible in nature, make sure to keep a pace with the required technology.

7) Announce the tools you plan to use in advance

It’s very important to keep yourself aligned with the tools or technology you are planning to use and it’s equally important to keep your students comfortable with the same. At the end, they are the one who are supposed to be benefited with the entire process. Today we have multiple tools, do your research and figure out which one suits best to your requirements. Learn the applications of the tool and update yourself with the technology. Make yourself comfortable with the selected tool and encourage the students to do the same. This way the virtual class will end up being more impactful and productive.

6) Invest some time in building the rapport with your class

A physical classroom and a virtual class are two different ball games. To ace the virtual one, one has to put some extra effort to bond with the students. Virtual class can be a difficult area to put a balance, it can be easily categorized as too authoritative and strict or easy and casual. The idea is to establish a balance and create an environment that is conducive, friendly and inviting and is specific enough to consummate it’s utmost intention. Usage of social media may give you an edge as it’s more of a new-age thing. The students will appreciate this effort and will find the class more interesting and engaging.

5) Create a forum or allocate time for student questions and concerns

Create a forum and make this forum visible to everyone so that the students can also take the charge and come up with their own solutions to the questions. This will create a competitive and open environment and will encourage the students to appear with the best possible answers. It may reinforce a brainstorming session and will stimulate the entire batch to participate. Don’t forget to intervene when and where required.

4) Put effort into adding some visual appeal to the content

Inculcate some time to make the presentation, pdf, word file, audio clip or may be a video clip once in a while to break the monotony and keep the entire study material appealing. Many a times, pictorial representation and illustrations can also bring some aesthetic value to the study material. One doesn’t have to be an expert with these and exhaust all the energy into this, but certainly keeping a few things here and there will make it more engaging and will add a personal touch at the same time. It will offer the warmth you may have during the physical  classroom set-up. This effort will bring a feeling of connectedness and will bound the class to a different level.

3) Use multiple communication channels

Using multiple channels may accelerate the success rate of the class. No matter how much we prepare, the fact cannot be ruled out that in online classes there are chances that the entire set-up may fall off or may not turn up in the way it has been planned. As it involves a certain number of people, there are chances that one or other may fail to come up to a decided time or may lack the data connectivity, may not be familiar with the tools or any other unforeseen situation for that matter. Make sure to have a plan B for such situations, so that everybody is facilitated in the process. Multiple channels will increase the chances of being covered by most of the students. Also, this way it will impose in their conscious the effort you are taking for their benefit and will further encourage them to come up with a similar response. This will imbibe the students with a sense of responsiveness and thus, will take the entire process closer to a favorable result.

2) Take student feedback and suggestions

Encourage the students to come up with the feedback and always welcome their suggestions. This can be practiced on a weekly or fortnightly basis depending upon the class strength and complexity of the subject/topic. Remember that the online class set-up may not last for always but the rapport you will establish during the process with the student may remain forever. So, don’t refrain yourself to act welcoming and having the best of the experiences. Allow them to share the feedback and don’t fail to inquire about the ways the class/subject/topic and interaction as a whole can be more engaging.

 1) Assign yourself a designated work space

It can’t be stretched enough; the importance of a separate workspace is pivotal. Online classes may make you feel like a host with a little audience and thus the need of being a good director raise. Put some effort to conceal or remove the stuff you would not like your students to see. A simple and decent physical background has the capacity to turn the atmosphere and bring the required gravity and zeal  to the virtual class. Before commencing your class, it’s suggested to put some effort in being presentable and vigilant. It will offer the required somberness to the class and will keep the voidable nuances at bay. 

Online teaching comes up with its own pros and cons. It restricts to establish an instant connection among the student and teacher and at the same time it gives the flexibility to prepare and deliver the lecture as per once convenience. It takes away the real time charm of  a physical classroom but offers a substitute interactive online platform at the same time. Further, online teaching doesn’t have scope for the movement a physical classroom offers but expands the reach and can connect a large number of expectants from places. This virtual class can be delivered through various channels and mediums and if designed systematically and methodically can have a great impact on the students. It bridges the time gap in such a crucial scenario and allows the universities/institutions to function with lesser obstructions. As they say “something is better than nothing” and here Virtual classes is the only medium that has proven to be this “something”. 

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Therefore in this article instead of talking about how candidates should prepare and appear for interview, I offer here the most common mistakes committed by Interview-panel members, so that my fellow academicians can avoid it.

10. No Preparation for conducting the Interview: This could be very basic like simply not reading the candidate’s resume or CV before the interview. However the lack of co-ordination between panel members in conducting an interview is due to no preparation is however the bigger danger to watch out for. As unless it has been agreed in advance with regards to structure and guiding principle for the interview, it is almost impossible to conduct a purposeful, constructive conversation. Without prior co-ordination, panel interviews too frequently transform into either one-on-one questions and answers or even worse, a single conversation that meanders into irrelevant dialogue. Panel interviews work best when the members have agreed on a line of standard questions to prompt functional, useful responses, similar for every candidate (though not in a rigid fashion and more individual specific questions can be asked at the later part of interview), thus providing common ground for evaluating and taking a hiring decision.

9. Don’t understand the roles & responsibility: Unfortunately, this happens almost all the time. The Higher Education leadership in India, has evolved in line with the growth in the sector and has changed radically. Today the job profile of a Vice Chancellor / Director / Dean in private institutions can vary from being an academic head (figurehead) to a dynamic academic leader with Profit & Loss responsibility similar to a CEO. Similarly, while the role of Head – Corporate Relations might be limited to placements in some institution, in other institutions, the person might even be responsible for fundraising and endowment from corporates for e.g. starting industry sponsored Chair and Center of Excellence. Yet several people conducting interviews do not have an idea of the exact role and responsibilities of the position in concerned institution. In absence of such information, the interview panel members decide who is and who is not capable for the position (which they don’t fully understand) based on their own assumptions.

8. Not Approaching Issues Heads On: Academicians are known to be polite, more so in group settings. Instead of asking in a straight forward fashion about a complicated or controversial issue, they would either ignore it or ask in an evasive manner. Later they would either question the candidate’s motives about the issue or simply assume the probable answer to the question. By being polite and circumventive, the panel actually deprives the candidate an opportunity to present his side of the story and resolve the issue.

7. Speak more than Listen: Academicians by their nature are conversational and tend to explain things. Don’t we all know that, when an academician starts speaking and explaining, it is difficult to stop them. I have been a part of interviews in which, candidate hardly get 20% time of the allocated time and one or other panel member keep on explaining one or other point. Candidates too often either quietly listen to the panel member or try to put across his point in limited available time. Then, after the candidate leaves, interview panel wonder why candidate didn’t speak much. Or they extrapolate what they think they would have heard had the candidate got the time to speak.

6. Represent only their area or interests: Most academic interview panels are constituted with people from various areas to ensure participation from various areas. However it should be kept in mind that though representation of different interests is important, ultimately the candidate is being recruited for the entire institution. And hence the members should keep this in mind while trying to uphold views of their constituencies.

5. Remember that interviewing is still about recruitment: In a best case scenario, the institution and the candidates find themselves at the same stage of mutual consideration at the same time. It is obvious that during the interview, both the interview panel and candidate, are in discovery mode. Hence while the candidate is conveying to the institution that they want the job, the institution should be communicating them that how interested it is in them and retain their interests in the institution. If you forget that you would be evaluating a candidate who is no longer interested in the position. 

4. Treat candidates like mere applicants: This can have implications which last beyond the interview. If the interviewing panel as representative of the institution takes a candidate for granted thinking that their commitment to the job is a sure fact, they are sowing seeds of discontent in minds of candidate. A critical purpose of any interview is the aligning candidate’s interest in the job and the institution on a long term basis. If treated in an improper fashion, candidates will carry a negative impression of the institution. Even if they are selected, they might not join or leave soon on getting an opportunity at a more welcoming institution. Academic hiring is an expensive and time consuming process with good talent being hard to find. So as, a member keep that in mind and treat each candidate as a potential employee and brand ambassador.

3. Misunderstand the true purpose of leadership: A leader has to be a good strategist, analyzing situations and if required taking difficult decisions in line with best long-term interest of the institution as a whole. Such decisions may make some if not all stakeholders of the institution unhappy. While recruiting academic leadership talent, members of the panel must subject the candidate to difficult strategic choice questions and focus on the analytical reasoning and the likely impact of his decisions. They could also go through his leadership history to analyze his decision making skills.

2. Value process more than the outcome: Recruitment ultimately is a process and a selected candidate from a process with some faults may still turn out good, but a perfect process leading to no selection indicates a failure. A process has only one “goal”, result in selection of a suitable candidate, not be a result itself. When the institutions become so involved in the process and individuals conducting the process get obsessed with its micro level details that put process on top, things do go bad in a slow fashion. Here, how can I forget a globally benchmarked new university in Delhi / NCR, which has not started School of Management for the last 2 years due to failure in appointing a dean with credentials at par with Harvard and Wharton?

1. And the biggest mistake: Look for Academic Leaders through a walk-in interview. When you want a good partner whether on business or personal front, you have treat them in respectful manner and treat them with care. We all know good academic leaders are difficult to recruit. Still I am not able to understand how so called world class institutions expect academic leader with dignity to attend walk-in and wait for hours for their interview slot like a fresher? I will leave this point over here for you to think over.

I can continue expanding the list but let’s stick with the above for now. Additionally I am sure that your comments about this article will not only expand on the points I covered but also throw light on unexplored points.

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The article throws light on Indian Institutions’ aspiration to be globally competitive and how management consulting firms can assist them in improving institutional effectiveness leading to excellence.

To read full article: http://bit.ly/1PwgATc

The post The Entrepreneur India : Need for Management Consulting in Indian Higher Education appeared first on EduShine.

Despite the overrated presence, many B-schools have shut down campuses in recent time. From 2012 to 2015, over 300 B-schools have already shut down, giving strong signals about the end of a phase, which was ruled by the craze for MBA. Is this the end for the overrated management education frenzy which was ruling the minds of the youth all over the country? Only time will tell.

As per management education experts, applications have declined across B-Schools but not all institutes are seeing a decline in their admissions. While the top run schools are also facing admission dilemmas, they are definitely growing. While the brand of such institutes is highly attractive, other institutes offering MBA courses are on a steady decline.

The premier B-schools woes are not too far down the road; even these schools have not been spared from the shadow of challenges affecting some of the other BSchools in the country. As the curriculum of these premier B-schools goes unnoticed, there is a widespread discontent among the students who are aspiring to reach the pinnacles of success. As the economy gets fine tuned to the trends of international affairs, there is immediate need to restructure the curriculum to sync it with what’s happening around the world.

In current scenario, when ROI of management education is questioned globally, and even the premier BSchools are focusing on imparting practical skills which can earn better post-MBA salaries for their students.

With this thought in mind, let’s delve a little deeper into the effectiveness of the MBA program as a whole. A lot of aspiring students are beginning to question the age-old thoughts, provoking the mind to think, “Is the MBA degree finally obsolete?” This is not all, for many academicians are beginning to think if the ROI associated with the high fee, the course structure, and the brand value is on a steady decline. When you graduate from a premier institute, you don’t know for sure if you will be able to secure a desired job within the next few months. Companies look for skills you bring to the table and the way you are able to use them, given the fast paced economy you will be working in. Will you be able to handle the competition in the long run? What career progression you will chart out for yourself as you move up the corporate ladder? These are some of the questions which should be at the top level in your mind while choosing a higher degree for yourself.

With so many questions in mind, the younger Indian population is beginning to doubt the veracity of the two year long programs. Instead, the trends are beginning to tilt in favor of specialized courses, which help people hone their existing skills versus some of the general skills which are taught in a general MBA program. As this is being said, the pertinent question which pops into the mind is, “Is Analytics going to be the next boom?” This thought definitely gets the mind racing, as loads of queries, statistical programs, and open sourced languages come gushing into the mind.

Is data mining the next generation’s secret mantra to success? Business analytics has emerged as an upcoming stream, catching the attention of many students who are in love with their IT proficient side. As more and more companies are looking at developing strategies to fine tune their policies, there is an exorbitant demand for the mind work involved in Analytical courses. If numbers are believed, over 2.5 lakhs analytical jobs will be up for grabs in the year 2015. This will come as a surprise, since jobs in other related fields, like IT, retail and IT enabled jobs are anticipated to dry up drastically.

For example, if there is a firm with 10000 employees in India, it would have around 700-800 employees in its analytical vertical, depending upon the amount of data being generated on a monthly basis. However, this translates to a total number of 1.25 lakhs employees who are already working in the analytical fields all over the country. There are a wide number of domains which are recruiting people proficient in analytics. Companies located in the following domains are likely to be the top recruiters:

• Healthcare,
• Pharmaceuticals
• Financial Services
• Banking
• Telecom

There are tons and tons of institutes offering customized courses to teach courses related to these fields. Some prominent names which come to the mind are Jigsaw Academy, IIM Lucknow, Myra School of Business, Bridge School of Management etc. But this comes with a word of caution! If you have an analytical side, love number crunching, are gifted with a taste for programming languages and love to do root cause analysis, only then you should consider moving into the analytical side. If all these factors get your mind thinking, then you’re definitely moving in the right direction, for the world will be your oyster and there is nothing which can stop you from exploiting it to the fullest.

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Especially, the education sector was expecting a huge boost in terms of increase in education budget from 4% to 6% of the GDP.

An outlay of Rs 85,010 crore was made by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for the education sector for the next fiscal year. While Rs 35,010 crore have been allocated for higher education, an amount of Rs 50,000 crore has been earmarked for school education. This has increased from Rs 79,685.95 crore in 2017.

The government has proposed a research fellowship scheme under which 1,000 best B.Tech students would be identified and given “a handsome fellowship” and facilities to do PhD in IITs and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, in the hope that they would voluntarily commit a few hours every week to teach in higher educational institutions. This initiative would probably attract top ranked students from the premier central government institutions for pursuing PhD and eventually become faculty in Indian higher education. It’s a welcome step towards strengthening Indian Higher Education teaching & research. If implemented well, this may help India in improving its performance in global university rankings.

The decision has been welcomed by the academic community overall, as such an initiative could help in fostering a culture of research and innovation in the field of technology. For decades India’s academic orientation has been skewed towards theory, with very little impetus on research and testing.The move comes in a time when India produces only 12,000 PhDs in engineering annually, unlike China, Britain and the US..

The government has also proposed setting up of two new full-fledged schools of planning and architecture and about 18 schools of planning and architecture to be set up under the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and National Institutes of Technology (NITs) as autonomous schools. Looking at the rapid automation taking place in infrastructure and construction sector, this announcement looks untimely. However, this step could be aimed to cope with the demand for architectects and urban planning professionals for upcoming smart cities.

To bridge the gap between doctor-patient ratio in the country, the finance minister proposed setting up of 24 new government medical colleges by upgrading existing district hospitals in the country. “The government aims to set up at least one medical college for three Parliamentary constituencies. Looking at the governance issues in the medical council of India and deteriorating conditions of government medical colleges and hospitals, government would be required to pay serious attention while setting up new medical colleges.

In a major reform move for the higher education sector, the government has also announced a new model for funding infrastructure in the centrally-funded higher educational institutions, calling on IITs, NITs and IIMs to pitch in with 25% of total funds needed.

The budget 2018 has declared that there will be no further grant-in-aid for new infrastructure across Centrally Funded Technical Institutes including the IITs, NITs and IIMs. It is estimated that Rs 1 lakh crore will be needed across institutes until 2021-22 for creation of new infrastructure.

The move could be made to bring in greater accountability and responsibility in government funded educational institutes, to shift funding mechanism to a project based one rather than a dole out mechanism. The government also believes that besides pushing institutes to mobilise their own resources, the move will also allow institutes to seek more funds and money than they currently get allocated, provided their project proposal is credible enough.

Under the new funding regime introduced today, each institute will now have to seek funds on the basis of projects proposals and seek loans from the Higher Education Financing Agency (HEFA) to fund the same.

This change in funding mechanism may increase competitive environment among premier institutions however, for a country like India, the government funding in Higher Education Institutions should be based on more egalitarian view and mediocre institutions should not suffer due to most of the government fund allocation to top institutions.

In case of Central Universities which have constraints in raising student fee, they will have to only pay 10% of the principal amount.

Stopping short of fully deregulating fee in these institutes, keeping student interest in mind, the Modi government will allow educational institutes considerable freedom to mobilise resources on their own.

While these initiatives are spearheaded towards creating an infrastructure to encourage skill development and ensure that our youth has relevant expertise in their area of specialization. Broadly, education sector had the following expectations from this budget.

1. Increasing education sector budgetary allocation from 4% to 6% of GDP
2. Removal / reduction in GST for Higher Education
3. Special package to revive engineering education / closing institutes
4. Announcement of National Employment Policy (NEP) – a comprehensive road map for creation of quality jobs and employment
5. Revision on monetary limit for income tax exemption under children education

While this year’s union budget almost managed to pacify all strata’s, but the people were still left wanting for more. For example even after much debate and discussion, topics like GST in Higher education or tax exemption under children education were not touched..

Therefore even with a slew of such initiatives, one could only come to a conclusion basis what gets translated into ground reality and in what amount of stipulated time.

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For Progressive professional institutions, this is the time to evaluate their academic strengths and weaknesses and based on that they adopt academic hiring practices best suited for their institutions.

Kalpesh Banker, Managing Partner at EduShine, wrote an article for India Today on “Hiring Trends for India Higher Education Institutions”. It would help Institutions in fine tuning their academic hiring plans with the trends.

To read more: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/hiring-practices-in-india/1/1080732.html

The post India Today : Academic Recruitment Trends in Indian Higher Education appeared first on EduShine.

Firstly, What is Net Neutrality?  “Net neutrality” is the term used to describe the concept of keeping the Internet open to all lawful content, information, users, applications, and equipment.

Net neutrality makes web equal, ensuring whether people are watching music videos on YoouTube or reading Wikipedia articles, they are treated at par.

In simple terms, it’s an assurance that your internet service provider (ISP) will deliver you data without any bias. It makes the web equal, ensuring whether people are watching music videos on YoouTube or reading Wikipedia articles, they are treated at par.

It’s similar to the promise of educational institutions that once a student has gained admission to an educational institute and paid the relevant fees, he will have access to same educational resources as any other student without any prejudice or favoritism. Similarly your internet service provider (ISP) is supposed to deliver you data without any prejudice or favoritism once you pay the relevant charges. It makes the web equal for everyone, user or content / service provider. This sounds perfectly necessary, right? However telcos worldwide are trying to change the rules and Indian ISPs like Airtel and Reliance seem to be following them.

In absence of net neutrality, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) could hypothetically increase their profit margins by splitting the Internet into two very distinct categories: the ultra fast and the intolerably slow. Those content providers, who will pay to internet service providers, will be accessed ultrafast by the network users; everyone else will get second class treatment. Although, all ISPs deny plans of doing so. Nevertheless, it isn’t too hard to imagine a scenario where the desire to please investors takes over sense of public responsibility.

Net Neutrality in Indian Context

There are no clear guidelines regarding net neutrality in India currently. However, Indian Telcos have offered free / discounted access to specific apps since last 2-3 years to drive up data usage. It is in this background that Airtel launched Airtel Zero, a marketing platform for apps on 5th April. It was also reported that some big companies, specifically Flipkart, were signing up to be a part of the platform.

Indian Internet activists who had witnessed their counterparts in US successfully ensure net neutrality by FCC started their own campaign and as of now seem to be succeeding with Flipkart pulling out of Airtel Zero and Government of India actively following the situation.

In absence of any regulations or guidelines, platforms like Airtel Zero could evolve into preferential treatment for signed up apps in form of higher speeds and lower speed/ more cost for others or even licensing of apps resulting in a bifurcated internet.

In absence of Net Neutrality, if you are doing online shopping over Airtel network, Airtel will give preferential treatment to Flipkart app, as they are partners under Airtel Zero. There are high chances that the product you have purchased from Flipkart is available at it’s competitor at comparatively lower rate. Still it’s possible that you will end up purchasing at higher rate from FlipKart.

Let’s understand this through an example. In today’s environment, it is impossible to imagine education without internet. And most of such content is free for the student. There exist several online learning providers like not for profit edX and for profit Udacity. If tomorrow Udacity signs up with Airtel Zero, you would not have to pay data charges for accessing learning material including video from Udacity. And it might also be streamed at a higher data speed.  And hence you might sign up for Udacity courses over edX. Simialry in Indian context a no-name dubious “dare to think beyond IIM” business school might actually signup with the telecom service provider and it’s content may get preferential treatment over real IIM, which may affect admission decision of prospective students.

Hence absence of Net Neutrality,destroying level playing field might create an environment that favors big money and disadvantages everyone else, specifically non-profit educational institutions.The central issue with “paid prioritization”—where one content provider pays for a ‘fast lane’—is that those with the greatest financial resources will be best able to speed their content to all who use that provider. This would hurt small startups and public or non-profit content providers (like education institutions) that can’t afford to buy a ‘fast lane’ for educational, research, or other digital collections.

As you know, educational content, due to media rich format, requires better internet bandwidth and higher amount of data consumption compared to ecommerce or other  form of internet usage. So it is necessary that educational content gets equal priority on internet. Absence of which may make online education unviable. Such scenario will force, the quality focused not-for-profit education institutions to join in paid prioritization or fast laneplatforms like Airtel Zero or internet.org. This increased will add to the problems of education institutions which are already facing financial crunch so it will be difficult for them to absorb this increase in cost. They will be forced to pass on this additional cost onto students in terms of fees hike, in country like India, where online education is the only hope for economically reaching out to masses; it is also possible that the cost of online education will grow.

In today’s environment, it is inevitable for the education institutions to use online content published by commercial publishers i.e. academic databases, online journals & magazines, research reports, case banks etc. or by not for profits like Wikipedia and edEx, MIT open courseware etc.  To ensure proper and speedy delivery of content, some publishers might sign up for priority delivery if offered & pass on the increased cost to their customers, the institutions who in turn might pass it on to their students. Additionally, over the period of time the institutions might prefer content providers with a faster delivery platform powered by telcos and not utilize other alternatives. So it also could mean, input cost for almost all the education institutions, online or offline will increase. This would also end up hike in fees.

Further, technological innovations are making education affordable. Absence of Net Neutrality will hamper EdTech startups focusing on innovative to make education affordable. Vishal Maheshwari, who headed leading online education institution and has been a mentor & investor in early stage EdTech ventures feels: “Creating preferential access to further social causes and service penetration is one thing , using it to create only commercial monopolies as could be the case or fear now is quite another. Preferential treatment, if given sensitively, may help in accelerating penetration and better QoS by ISP. However, absence of right set of regulations can lead to monopolies and cartels and emerge as threat to larger objectives of delivering education to the masses.”

In today’s time, when RoI of higher education is under debate, absence of net neutrality in a worst case scenario might even lead to make it unaffordable for more students, which means, closing bell for many more institutions.

So do your bit to make Indian Internet free, open and neutral. Sing the petition or send a mail to TRAI with your opinion on Net Neutrality by 24th April.

• Head over to https://www.change.org/p/rsprasad-trai-don-t-allow-differential-pricing-of-services-let-consumers-choose-how-they-want-to-use-internet-netneutrality and sign the petition. Also share it with your social networks
• Go to http://www.savetheinternet.in/ and send a mail to TRAI. You can also edit your responses.

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