This story is from October 30, 2006

Open University

The New York City education department has slammed the door on e-tutors from India.
Open University
The New York City education department has slammed the door on e-tutors from India. The reason: Indian tutors don't comply with American laws that require teachers to undergo background checks.
This is of course a technicality that can be easily got around by getting Indian e-tutors vetted by an accredited body acceptable to US authorities. But that might lead to some other barrier being raised by American babus.
What they don't seem to realise is that bureaucratic rules cannot stop the instant movement of ideas and knowledge via the Internet.

Let's for a moment pause and consider how those who are taking e-tutorials would react to a ban on Indian e-tutors. If they are satisfied with the tutorials — the company blacklisted by New York claims test scores of students who availed of its services improved radically — they can simply log on to the Internet and directly contact the provider.
In the specific case in New York, the education department could take action since the students taking e-tuition were part of a government-sponsored programme.
However, in situations where individual students want to take tuitions market forces will surely apply. If American tutors on an average charge $40 per hour, and Indian tutors charge less and are as competent, no prizes for guessing whom the students will go for.

The question of background checks won't even arise if the customer is satisfied with the services.
The NYC authorities are making the mistake of equating the knowledge industry with conventional goods and services.
Goods or labour coming into any country can be stopped or discouraged by trade barriers and immigration laws. But no such rules can apply to ideas and knowledge that can be transported from one part of the globe to another in the twinkling of an eye.
To try and stop this movement is a futile exercise. The NYC education department's move is also a blow to the business of outsourcing, which is something causing much heartburn in the US.
The fundamental principle of outsourcing is that goods and services will be produced wherever they're cheaper. American babus would be foolish to try and buck this trend by turning protectionist.
This is especially true for the education sector in the US where there is a huge shortfall of schoolteachers. It's estimated that only 10 per cent of the country's demand for teachers is met annually.
In such a situation, the US should welcome, and not bar, tutors and teachers from India.
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