E-learning- In thing for Generation-Y!
The days for classroom and books would soon be a thing of the pass; The generation-Y is hooked on to their latest tablets for not only social networking but also to get into IIT, IIM and now Business Schools in the US.
Taking a cue from the tech-savvy youth the companies in education sector 
are coming up with innovative technology-based products - like personalized education tablet that could help students aspiring for various competitive exams to prepare at their convenience. Various companies have entered the test preparatory market which is expected to reach 3 billion dollar mark by 2013.
The latest to enter in fray is iProf. The one year old firm has recently secured investments worth Rs 22 crores from private equity firms like Norwest Venture Partners and IDG Ventures India.
The company's tablet worth Rs 8,000, equipped with audio-visual content, intends to make it possible for a student who cannot attend a classroom course to prepare for high-stakes admissions exams like CAT, GMAT and IIT/JEE to make his or her dream come true.
The company's founder and CEO Sanjay Purohit said,"It gives me immense pleasure to associate with Kaplan, the world leader in test preparation. From today onwards a student living in Patiala or Patna will have equal opportunity to prepare for admissions into Harvard or Stanford as one living in Mumbai or Manhattan." The company's model has generated interest from the world leader in test preparatory market Kaplan. Kaplan, which generates 2 billion dollar as revenue annually, has joined hands with iProf to provide content for the students aspiring to crack GMAT, which is mandatory to secure admission in MBA courses abroad, especially in the US.
Around 25 million students appear for various admission tests annually in the country but the higher education is often effected by lack of strong teachers, limited classroom programs in tier two and tier three cities and the high price of classroom coaching for IIT/MBA courses.
Speaking about the viability of the e-learning solutions NVP India's Executive Director Mohan Kumar said: "The present generation is very tech-savvy unlike the previous generations. According to our estimates while 80 per cent of students study from books, five years hence 80 per cent will take to e-learning." The world's largest Open University with an enrolment of more than 3.2 million students, IGNOU has also shown interest in the technology driven application as they have partnered with iProf to conduct diploma programmes for 75 of its courses on the personalised education tablet.
Taking advantage of the technology the Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal had unveiled a Rs 1600 
touchscreen tablet capable of connecting to the internet, video conferencing and even drawing solar power.
According to HRD Minister, Kapil Sibal the primary target for its initial launch is the education sector.
GoodLuck!
Source: TestFunda
Date: 18th May 2011
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