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THE LARGEST EDUCATION SYSTEM IN THE WORLD IS GOING ONLINE.
The K-12 education system in China is the largest in the world: 230 million students, 12 million teachers and 600 thousand schools. The Central Government has made a substantial commitment to having the school system online by 2007, spending $6.7 billion USD in 2003 on hardware and software. In the current 5 year plan, the Central Government has stepped up spending on rural primary and middle schools by 21 percent to $33.93 billion USD. According to the China Internet Network Information Centre, China has 123 million internet users as of June 30, 2006, an increase of 23% from the previous year. This represents only 10% of the potential online population. According to Forbes.com, China surpassed the U.S. in number of internet users and hours spent online in 2006.
In grasping the scope of this market it is also important to understand some of the social factors that drive the market. In China, education related expenses consume the largest portion of household income. Unlike the system in North America where attendance in public schools is mandated by location, it is competitive in China with schools able to dictate entrance requirements for students. This tradition encourages parents to ensure that their children have access to the best materials and resources. The CERSP.com portal represents a tremendous opportunity for parents to now have a central location for these resources.
The portal will also play an important role for teachers who have to be trained in the new curriculum. Historically training on new material was done in a classroom setting, this is now being moved online which will lower the cost and dramatically speed up the process. In February 2007, CER launched the beta version of a new teacher training model involving 16,000 teachers from various locations in China. This program was the first of its kind in China and will be completed in June, 2007. The reaction from the Central Government, the Provincial Governments and the teachers involved in the program has been exceptional. CER is in the process of developing a number of additional training courses and over the next year, intends to finalize agreements with various provinces and municipalities to train an increased number of teachers using the CERSP portal.
On April 5, 2007, CER launched China's first vertical educational instant messaging utility (China Education Resources Education Messenger, or "EM") making it possible for educators and teachers initially, and their students and parents throughout China to communicate with each other and with subject matter experts. EM will greatly facilitate the dissemination of educational resources and has been designed to support the Central Government's education reform initiative.
CER is on track to become the world's largest provider of online educational and administrative services to the K-12 market. CER is also committed to becoming the world's largest provider and repository of e-portfolios for students, teachers and academic institutions. Once this goal is met, we will be managing the world's largest database of real-name users.
References:
i Forbes.com, April 3, 2006; http://www.forbes.com/2006/03/31/china-internet-usage-cx_nwp_0403china.html
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