Distance Learning Is Growing Internationally

Online education is still nascent but growing fast in two of the world’s largest countries: India and China.

The online education market in India in 2008 was estimated to generate $200 million in revenue, and industry experts predict it will reach $1 billion by the end of the decade. “Online education addresses some of India’s shortcomings: a dismal education system, limited reach, and a severe paucity of faculty,” according to Business Week.

In China, online courses currently supplement some K-12 traditional classroom learning. Three major obstacles are hampering growth in online learning in China, according to a iNACOL report in 2006: a lack of qualified candidates with the appropriate certifications, the difficulty selling the new concept of online learning into the traditional educational system and the poor Internet technology. Despite these significant obstacles, 67 universities were participating in 2006 in a pilot to run online programs in both large and mid-sized cities in China.

In 1999, according to iNACOL, the online educational market in China amounted to 1.7 billion U.S. dollars, while in 2004 it rose to 23.1 billion U.S. dollars. Click here to find out more about distance learning in China.