Such levels of economic activity create demand for more graduates – in particular, management graduates. Along with a predicted boom in the number of MBA graduates across the region in the next few years, distance learning is expected to finally take off in Asia too.

With the exception of the relatively mature Australian market, Asia-Pacific countries have been slow to embrace online learning. Problems of quality, acceptance, price and access have been an issue, and the mix of languages across the region has hindered collaboration.

One sign of progress is the recent agreement between Korea University, National University of Singapore and the Fudan University in China to jointly offer an MBA programme.

Countries such as India lag far behind in bridging the digital divide but are catching up with national initiatives such as EDUSAT, India’s first satellite dedicated to education services, which was launched in 2004.

The irony is that China has seen millions of students graduate since 1979 via the largest open learning system in the world, the network of Radio and Television Universities.

But these problems are likely to be overcome very soon, as the demand for new skills over-rides pedagogic concerns. If Asian degree providers can offer quality and keep prices down – an underestimation of the costs involved in setting up programs has been a problem with past offerings – the growth in online courses could be phenomenal.

Dr. Gareth Griffiths of Aston Business School says: "In Thailand, India and China MBA graduates can walk into a well-paid job as there is a skills shortage. Salaries in most Asia-Pacific countries are rigidly structured and there’s no shortage of work.

"There are fantastic opportunities and I expect there will be more distance learning offerings there in the near future, particularly as Chinese students are more at home with passive learning."

As well as MBAs, more specific programs in accounting and marketing have proved popular. And an entire new generation of potential students has grown up with the concept of spending large chunks of life online.

Gerry White, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian national ICT agency in education and training, said: "Many Asian countries have have bypassed many of the constraints of personal computers and limited bandwidth and moved directly into satellite services, wireless and mobile devices resulting in a significantly higher rate of usage of such technologies than in North America and Europe. This trend is also evident in education."

In 2005, Intel Corporation announced a project to wire up some 300 universities in Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Australia and Thailand, with the aim of allowing students and lecturers to experience a more flexible learning and teaching environment.

An unexpected driver behind the rapid uptake of e-learning was the SARS epidemic of 2003, which closed down all schools in Singapore and resulted in heightened demand for online educational content.

White added: "The overall impression across all sectors of education and training in the region is that most governments and major enterprises are now investing in new technologies and e-learning innovation."