BIS to set standards for online educational courses to enhance content quality, ensure accountability

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) will soon put in place norms to regulate the quality of content in online courses and their delivery platforms, two people aware of the matter said. The BIS, which works under the department of consumer affairs, is framing the norms in coordination with the education ministry, they added.

The standards will impact coaching institutes that provide professional course content, experts who prepare their own training modules using e-courses, private educational institutions, and even learning apps or edtech companies.

The new standards will establish clear rules to ensure that content creators and institutions follow quality guidelines. This will help maintain consistency across online educational materials, ensuring students receive reliable and effective learning resources, the people cited above said on condition of anonymity.

“Online courses have become an integral part of the education system, offering flexibility and reach that traditional methods often cannot. However, the quality of these courses can vary significantly, impacting learning outcomes," the first person cited above said. “This makes it essential to introduce clear standards to ensure accountability and maintain educational effectiveness."

The second person said that the standards being introduced are meant to improve quality “so that institutions do not design content based on their profitability interests".

The person added that this is the right time to ensure accountability in online education. “There is a huge demand for online courses, and even higher education institutes in India are focusing on creating online programmes to cater to the growing consumer demand," this person said.

Queries emailed to the spokespersons of the BIS and the ministries of consumer affairs and education remained unanswered at the time of publishing.

Pressing need, but…

Experts said such norms are sorely needed. “Poorly designed content and weak delivery platforms can make it harder for students to learn and stay engaged," said Abhash Kumar, assistant professor of economics at Delhi University. “That’s why clear guidelines are necessary to maintain quality and effectiveness."

According to J.S. Rajput, an educationist and former director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), institutions such as the NCERT and the University Grants Commission, the National Council of Technical Institutions and other central bodies have been set up to ensure quality education and maintain standards.

With increasing reliance on digital education, especially in the post-pandemic era, ensuring well-structured and effective online courses has become a pressing need. India’s e-learning market is valued at over $10 billion and is projected to reach $28.46 billion by 2029, according to a report by Arizton Advocacy and Intelligence, a market research firm.

However, edtech experts indicated that the planned standards may not be easy to implement and that the focus should be on creating opportunities and equipping students with skills.

“The standards the government is proposing will be difficult to implement in coaching and K-12 education because these institutions exist largely due to the shortage of seats." said Arjun Mohan, CEO of EdStart, a startup consulting firm, and former CEO of Byju's and upGrad. “The right approach is to diversify education and provide students with more opportunities to pursue professional courses."

“The focus should be on creating engaging, personalised and credible learning experiences that equip students with real-world skills," said Aarul Malaviya, founder of Zamit, an AI-driven edtech platform.

According to Mohan, while the government’s thinking is in the right direction, the issue is that coaching centres follow the standard syllabus, and the question papers are of very high difficulty.

"The intense competition and the supply-demand gap make every question crucial, and missing even a few can cost aspirants their seats," he said.

To be sure, during the pandemic, the department of education had come out with guidelines aimed at enhancing the quality of digital learning. It said the guidelines also provide a roadmap or pointers for carrying forward online education and would be relevant and useful for stakeholders including school heads, teachers, parents, teacher educators and students.

India big on education

The India Brand Equity Foundation, set up by the commerce ministry, estimates that with 580 million people, the country has the largest population in the world in the 5-24 age bracket, presenting a huge opportunity in the education sector.

India’s K-12 segment was valued at $48.9 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $125.8 billion by 2032, as per an IBEF report. The Indian edtech market size is expected to reach $30 billion by 2031, from $700-800 million in 2021, as per the IBEF.

Foreign direct investment into the education sector in India stood at $9.55 billion from April 2000 to June 2024, according to the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade.