As indicated by a number of studies, a large percentage of Indians are multilingual. Many modern Indians can even speak and write more than two languages fluently. But many analysts fear that the rapidly growing popularity of English is affecting the popularity and use of other regional languages in India. The rapid advancement in communication technology has further enabled modern people to learn English at their own pace and convenience. They can simply visit websites and download mobile apps to write and speak the language within a shorter span of time.

According to an article posted on articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com, the number of mobile users in India is predicted to cross 213 millions in 2015. At the same time, mobile internet is being used by a large percentage of people living in both rural and urban India. Also, mobile internet is currently being used by one-fourth of the school going kinds and one-fifth of non-working women in the country. The huge mobile user base and massive popularity of mobile internet will have a direct impact on the popularity of learning mobile apps.

The popularity of the mobile learning apps can also be determined from the fact that “enguru: Learn Spoken English”, the first ever e-learning mobile app launched by a Bangalore-based startup named King Learning in April, has already amassed more than 75,000 downloads from the Google Play Store in less than three months. The popularity of the mobile learning apps further encourages many businesses to create apps that help Indian students to learn a variety of subjects quickly. Thus, the Indian students now have option to choose from a variety of mobile learning application available at various app stores. The rapidly growing popularity of these apps is expected to transform the education scenario in the country.

How Mobile Apps will soon transform Indian Education Scenario?

Huge Mobile User Base
The smartphones, tablets and phablets are hugely popular among people living in both rural and urban India. Likewise, currently a large percentage of professionals, students and non-working people in Indian use mobile internet on a daily basis. The data indicate that mobile devices haven become an integral part of the lifestyle of modern Indians. These users also look for innovative apps to accomplish a variety of tasks using their mobile device. Most students nowadays prefer learning various subjects through mobile apps. In future, more and more students are expected to use mobile apps to learn various subjects in a flexible and quick way.

Lack of Quality Educational Institutions
In India, most of the reputable educational institutions are located in urban areas. So the students living in rural India often have to join local institutions that often lack the expertise and resources required to provide quality education. The mobile apps enable students to learn the subjects regardless of their current location. Thus, the students living in villages and small towns can take advantage of the mobile learning apps avail high quality education. For instance, a student living in rural India can use an English learning app to master the language quickly without joining the local educational institution.

Availability of Free Apps
At present, Indian students have option to choose from thousands of mobile learning apps available in various app stores. They can even download apps that are designed by businesses and startups specifically for Indian students. At the same time, they can use a number of free mobile learning apps to learn the subject without spending more money. The free mobile learning apps further encourage most Indian students to opt for mobile learning. For instance, when a student joins a spoken English class he has to pay for the course fees and certifications. But he can simply download a free English learning application, and speak the language fluently without incurring any extra expenses.

Apps for Each User
The growing demand for mobile learning apps encourages many enterprises to launch new apps. Some startups even design apps with features to make mobile learning more entertaining and enjoyable. For instance, a project run by professors of the Carnegie Mellon University led by Mathew Kam, aims to create a mobile application that enables rural students to learn English quickly through popular village-based games. Likewise, Applied Mobile Lab recently launched a voice and SMS based English learning product called ‘English On Mobile’. Thus, both students and elders now have option to pick mobile learning applications according to their needs and preferences. The abidance of choices will encourage more students to switch to mobile learning.

Helps Students to Prepare for Competitive Exams
While preparing for competitive exams, many Indian students hate the English section. But to clear the competitive exam, they have to focus on specific aspects of English learning. For instance, a student has to remember several tough words along with their meanings. At the same time, they also need to learn both vocabulary and grammar in detail. That is why; many students opt for specialized coaching to prepare properly for the competitive exams. But there are a number of apps that help students to prepare for competitive exams without joining any coaching center. They can simply download these free apps, and prepare for the competitive exams in a more efficient and inexpensive way.

Collaboration with Schools and Universities
There are also a number of startups who collaborate with particular schools or universities to launch mainstream products according to the exact needs of Indian students. These enterprises aim to build customized mobile learning apps for students belonging to certain age groups or studying in a specific class. For instance, MultiStory Learning Private Limited has initiated a program to educate students through storytelling. Book Lovers’ Program for Schools (BLPS), the company’s flagship product helps schools to encourage their students to read. The BLPS team is working closely with several schools’ English departments and libraries to run programs for classes 1 to 8. The mobile learning apps help such companies to extend their programs to students residing in various parts of India.

However, the Indian students will soon require a variety of innovative mobile learning apps in addition to the English learning apps. There are also chances that the modern students will very soon love to learn several subjects on their smartphones, tablets and phablets instead of reading conventional books and magazines. The massive popularity of mobile learning apps will further encourage both existing businesses and startups to get higher ROI by launching applications with advanced and out-of-box features.