The most remarkable feature of the 1998 state assembly polls was the overpowering anti-establishment wave in Madhya Pradesh. Experts say the panchayat education scheme operating was primarily responsible for these developments. No wonder then that state governments are finally waking up to the fact that dissemination of education can prove to be extremely advantageous on the political front.It is important for India to develop a modern learning infrastructure equipped with sophisticated communication technologies. To facilitate this, it is imperative to grasp the practical issues involved in converging the interest of the private and public sector, in order to attract investment required to set up a nationwide distance learning system.The government has upgraded its target of providing Universal Education from 2011 to 2005. The Centre is ill-equipped to meet this objective as only 2.77 per cent of the total budgetary outlay is allocated to education. This includes an additional outlay of Rs 500 crorethat has been granted by the government this year.Sixty five per cent of the amount allotted is outlayed for primary education. The government has officially declared that community participation is imperative for promoting higher education and the cost has to be borne by those who use it. Private capital cannot be expected to be deployed in areas like adult and primary education because of low returns. Till now centres of higher education have been limited to major cities and this leads to a lop-sided growth. Importantly, education is a Concurrent List subject, which implies that the Centre should not allow educational affluence to be restricted within a handful of states.Talking of the private sector participation, the dedicated closed user groups network segment consists of large private corporates like HLL and Bajaj. The consumer industry operates through a network of factories and stockists located in far-flung regions across the country. However, the industry experiences frequent changes andplayers need to continuously update their dealers on new product features, competition and forthcoming sales promotion exercises. They find it extremely difficult to remain in touch with the dealers due to poor communication infrastucture. Distance learning tools are of paramount importance to such corporates. Leading banks, like the SBI, also urgently require this technology to organise training programmes for the personnel.A notable exponent of distance learning tools is Ford Motor's Fordstar Network, a VSAT-based satellite system connecting 6,000 dealerships around USA for providing a range of information from repair updates to technicians to product information for salespeople.Shared Networks have content providers like ERNET, IGNOU, IIT, NIIT, Aptech etc. These players are keen to extend their domain from the main cities to the rural market. But a critical factor would be the return on such an investment.Conventional classroom training is considered to be too slow and inefficient to keep pace withchange. Moreover, administrative hurdles, which include setting up infrastructure and finding tutors, have stymied the growth further. Traditional distance education modes like postal coaching have also failed, as these are non-interactive.Front-running global corporates have now opted for Interactive Distance Learning. This system overcomes time and distance, turning any enterprise network-satellite or Internet into a powerful, interactive learning resource. Incremental cost of setting up a new centre is low once the investment on the uplinking the network hub is made.The author is President, Hughes Escort Communications Ltd
