Online-offline integration is 'new normal' for the education industry

Integration of online and offline channels will become the "new normal" for China's education industry but companies still need to create a self-sufficient business model to take a lead, an industry luminary said.

Wang Lihong, CEO of Rise Education Cayman Ltd, a Nasdaq-listed education company, said: "The online-offline integration is the new normal, or an important development trend, for the education industry. Education companies without online capabilities will find it more difficult to survive in the future.

"But the education industry itself has different goals and not all goals can be achieved online. Online education has its convenience in delivering knowledge but offline education has an irreplaceable role in inspiring a person, conveying warmth as well as resonance.