Covid 19’s Impact
The pandemic led India’s schools to experience lengthy shutdowns, some of the longest in the world. The result, however, was an escalated emphasis on digital technology–it played a material role in continuing learning outside the classroom and providing accessible resources for students. Simultaneously, it reengineered the way students were able to communicate with one another and collaborate, beyond the confines of the traditional classroom.
The pandemic accelerated the growth of education-technology groups, or “ed-tech” corporations. With the promise of providing more affordable and attainable education, this sector of the economy has attracted much interest from investors.
Growth In Ed-TecH
Alongside an annual projected growth of 7.5% for the online education market (K-8) through 2023, education technology’s impact cannot be understated.
For underserved populations, digital technology had long served as a means of learning when brick-and-mortar institutions cannot.
Challenges with Ed-Tech
Recently, however, ed-tech corporations have been seeking new avenues of growth, as in-person learning resumes and the effects of the pandemic wane. Notably, Byju’s, the world’s largest ed-tech corporation has begun putting money into brick- and-mortar institutions.
For a while, India has had cram centers and well established private tutors (offline centers) who help aspiring students seeking acceptance into top universities or government jobs.
The entry of ed-tech corporations into the offline education sector in addition to continuing online education thus designates them as major competition with these long-standing institutions.
As Byju’s and other corporations shift towards hybrid models of education, some students have voiced their appreciation. Students are able to revisit their doubts from online sessions in the offline center. Others point out the lack of supervision that comes along with fully online learning.
While a solely online education may still contain imperfections, its level of accessibility and affordability continues to attract investors. India’s National Education Policy, instituted in 2020, aims to reconstruct the education system, with hybrid learning being the foundation.
With this in mind, the online education market is expected to grow by $2.28 billion dollars by 2026.
Technology in Action
“A technologically enhanced learning ecosystem is needed to move to an outcome-based approach to gauge where and how education is truly being delivered to solve gaps in equity.”
– Biswajit Saha, CBSE official
While a solely online education may still contain imperfections, its level of accessibility and affordability continues to attract investors. India’s National Education Policy, instituted in 2020, aims to reconstruct the education system, with hybrid learning being the foundation.
Leap to Shine’s mission is to enable underserved children by providing them with instruction, integrated with digital technology. Provided with learning tablets, students have the ability to connect with teachers, guides, and volunteers and engage in meaningful content aligned with the state curriculum, all without the necessity of an internet connection. In effect, Leap to Shine is exemplifying the meaningful use of technology to bridge the equity gap present in education.
