With every commodity getting personalised, how could education be left behind? E-tutoring, or teaching through the internet is fast evolving as a mode of personalised affordable education. Once considered ‘just another business model’, the interesting part is that studies have now shown that this industry is worth more than $8 billion dollar in US and growing at an exponential rate. One reason for this sudden growth is the fact that e-tutoring firms are providing services mainly to the US market at extremely competitive prices. These service providers are charging as less as $2.50 per hour. Compare this to the standard US tuition price rate, which is currently at $40 per hour. Creditably, these e-companies offer a gamut of subjects ranging from Geometry to Geography; and again, for all possible age groups. Some of these firms are now tapping the gargantuan Chinese market for providing English education via e-tutoring.
But then, apart from being ‘good business’, this model holds no hopes for increasing literacy in developing nations, because of ridiculously low levels of internet penetration – averaging 0.05%.