| It is around quarter past 5 in the morning | | | | well enough to handle the American teenager. |
| when Ms. Anjali Maini is all ready to start. | | | | So an Indian teacher would not be surprised |
| She swivels her chair hurriedly to face the | | | | when her student calls her by the first name! |
| computer. She puts on her headset and says in | | | | That's the modern day education outsourcing. |
| a slightly American accent "hello Maria, how | | | | |
| are you?" the response appears in real time | | | | Tutoring is a huge business, and is |
| "I am fine Anjali, what about you?" Anjali is | | | | expanding. Millions of students in both |
| a 26 year old girl who has been appointed to | | | | private and public schools are using private, |
| teach extra lessons for maths to Maria, who | | | | one on one tutors as well as education hubs |
| is in the 6th grade, the only point to be | | | | like Kaplan, Kumon and Princeton Review for |
| noted here is that these lessons happen over | | | | supplementary educational needs of education |
| an internet enabled computer. The reason is | | | | starved America. What was once linked only to |
| that while Maria is based at Malibu, | | | | the upper class has now become a pervasive |
| California her online tutor Anjali is placed | | | | part of everyday education for everybody. |
| at New Delhi, India. | | | | |
| | | | By means of a simulated whiteboard on their |
| It's the latest form of outsourcing: tutors | | | | internet enabled computers, and a copy of the |
| in India providing math help to American | | | | American textbook for the subject to be |
| children over the Internet. Many companies | | | | taught the online tutor guides the American |
| like TransWebTutors (transwebtutors.com), | | | | teenager through the intricacies of subjects |
| Brain Fuse, TransTutors and Growing stars are | | | | like maths, science, English and what not. |
| into this ever growing online tutoring model. | | | | And the guidance is not just restricted to |
| The market has stretched tremendously since | | | | K12 studies but also to pre college level and |
| the No Child Left Behind Act. The law | | | | college level subjects and curriculum. These |
| requires schools identified as "failing" to | | | | online tutors also prepare students for |
| offer private tutoring which has meant more | | | | various exams like SAT, GRE, TOEFL, etc. |
| business for these online tutoring companies. | | | | |
| | | | Homework outsourcing as this is popularly |
| "I was very worried when Maria was not | | | | known as these days is driven by cost like |
| performing well in her studies, some of my | | | | all types of outsourcing models. Companies |
| friends suggested private tuitions but then | | | | like TransWebTutors in India charge American |
| we could not afford one." Says Kimble | | | | students $15 an hour for private tutoring, |
| Jackson, mother of Maria. "All this was until | | | | contrast this with $50 or more that their |
| I learned about tutors from India; I thought | | | | American counterparts charge and you know the |
| of giving it a try and the results are in | | | | reason why online tutoring is such a huge |
| front of you. From C's and B's Maria has | | | | hit! Online tutoring has risen very much in |
| moved to A's today. All this thanks to online | | | | the recent past and is a tremendous weapon in |
| tutoring!" | | | | the hands of education starved America. It |
| | | | would certainly emerge as a success and |
| The teachers are well selected with good | | | | silence everything its critics have to say |
| academic and teaching records and are trained | | | | against it. |