Thaindian News

New Delhi, Sep 11 (IANS) Greater internet penetration in India and the option of learning in the comfort of home while saving money have led to the increased popularity of e-tutorials, which are expected to be a Rs.3,500 crore market by 2015, a study released by an industry lobby said Sunday.

The online tutorial market is growing at an annual rate of 40 percent and is likely to cross the Rs.3,500 crore mark by 2015 from its current level of Rs.1,200 crore, the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).

“An increasing number of school and college going students are now getting enrolled for online classes which provides them practical insights and individual attention in the comforts of their home at a time convenient to them,” said the survey.

E-tutoring does not require any significant investments but a basic software and hardware set up to support multimedia and internet connection to facilitate interactive study sessions via e-mails and engaging in live discussions and video conferencing, Assocham said.

“There are several websites which offer e-tutoring and the student can pay with his credit or debit card,” an Assocham official told IANS.

The lobby interacted with about 800 parents in cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai between June and August for the study.

Nearly 55 percent of the respondents were aware of online tutorials. While most of them agreed that conventional tuition centres remain their first choice, the others agreed that online tutorials were a better way of learning, revealed the survey.

“E-tutorial is a niche sector that provides limitless world of knowledge as there are various online learning programs that complement every student’s unique learning needs,” Assocham secretary general D.S. Rawat said.

“However, the online tutorial market in India is still at a nascent stage, mainly confined to the urban centres,” he added.