The Hindu Business Line : `Rural computer education a billion dollar industry'

"THE next big thing in the computer industry is happening in the rural areas. Educating the rural population is a billion-dollar industry," said Mr L. Balasubramanian, President, `K-12 business', a strategic business unit of NIIT, to the students of Madha Engineering College, Kundrathur, while inaugurating the Business Line Club.

Calling upon the students to join the race in educating the rural people, he stressed that while it offers huge scope, it also comes with a rider — that of the cost. The challenge lies in offering computer education at not just affordable but cheap rates. He underscored that the cost is so low that the course is being offered at just Rs 80 per head, while at the same time ensuring profitability to the organisation.

Explaining the method adopted by NIIT to achieve reduction in the cost, he said it follows the `cost leadership' model, which cuts down on wastage. NIIT uses the printing press of publishing houses of weeklies and newsprint of cheaper but good quality to print the study material.

"I need young people like you," he said, referring to the limitless job opportunities open to management graduates in this segment. However, he also underlined that they should be willing to work in rural areas.

While describing the business model in rural areas whose drivers are access to people, cost of delivery and content or the courseware, he said it matches great demand with great supply.

Breaking the myth that computer education can be offered only to those with formal education, he narrated examples where illiterates or school dropouts were able to learn the concepts better and put them into application quickly.

The design of the programmes differs from State to State, he said. Citing his experience in various States, he said that the implementation agencies brought out the cultural differences between the people and the the challenges in designing computer education to suit local needs.

Explaining the rationale behind establishing bases only in India and China, he said these two countries have 22 lakh schools between them, offering huge potential.

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