Looking back at the last decade, if there is one thing that has disrupted our lives and all its functionalities, beyond measure, it’s been technology. From facilitating daily consumption needs to making work easier to enabling a seamless exchange of information, it’s impossible to deny the all pervasive impact of technology in our existence today. Needless to say, education has not been an exception. For a sector that had paused owing to the collapse of the schooling system, technology emerged as a savior ensuring that over 250 million Indian students don’t lose out on their basic education.
What followed was a remarkable transformation that not only upended the sector for good but also revolutionized the way students learn. By offering round the clock engagement, academic assistance and personalized access, edtech took learning beyond the classrooms, ushering in a new ecosystem for India’s K12 and all its stakeholders. More and more students are waking up to innovative pedagogy in schools now coupled with an access to abundant online resources within the comfort of their homes.
While the pandemic has faded away, it has resulted in a definitive shift in outlook around education in India. Parents and teachers are cognisant of the assurance of edtech and its ability to facilitate transfer of knowledge and quality learning. The future of education in India will be one that is immensely invested in technology in creating a holistic learning environment coupled with relevant government interventions and a future ready mindset. With 36% of India young and learning today, technology in education has a new chapter to unfold in the years to come and shall rest on the below factors to stand out and stir change.
Equitable access: Needless to say, technology’s ability to transcend time and space would continue to re-define learning for the next generation of students. Not only will this lead to increased adoption of edtech in India’s smaller towns and cities, access to quality resources would become more uniform and equal for all cohorts of pupils irrespective of their social and economic backgrounds. Remote learning has ensured continuity in education amidst the gravest of circumstances and the trend shall continue to benefit students from marginalized or lower income families, unable to commit to school hours or conventional training.
Opportunity and Exposure: Courtesy technology, borders are blurring by the day and the world is indeed becoming a small place. For a student in remote India, it’s not a far-fetched dream anymore to pursue higher education in a global university which wasn’t a possibility a decade ago. Students today have a plethora of readymade information at their disposal which can be accessed to widen learning possibilities. On the Brainly study app, Indian students are open to an extensive knowledge base of 48 million questions along with a thriving community of experts, students and parents ready to help for doubt solving. The future will see more Indian edtech firms expand their global footprint to widen the academic possibilities of Indian students.
Affordability: It’s no more a secret that online learning is more cost effective than traditional education. Parents in non-urban India have struggled for long to afford quality learning for their children, including schooling and tutoring expenses. Government data states that a sizable number of Indian students including 21% girls quit education for it costs too much. But thanks to technology, all one needs today is a data enabled device to expand their learning possibilities and explore materials from around the world. With over 800MN people possessing mobile phones in India, a count that is fast proliferating due to reduced data prices and improved connectivity, technology will continue to democratize education for the masses and create future ready classrooms.
Customization: Do we need to say this more? The ‘different strokes for different folks’ norm is digital’s biggest benefit and the next few years will see increased focus on personalization to break the clutter and retain customers. From exploring resources of their immediate interest to pursuing studies at their own pace to focusing on formats that keep them intrigued, technology has and will continue to evolve the learning experience by offering tailor made solutions to students. This would also include the convenience of learning in a language of choice, one area that edtech has started delving in deeply. On Brainly India, the exhaustive knowledge base is available across Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Bengali, and Sanskrit..
Innovation – Lastly, online education makes learning fun, engaging and interactive, sliding away the monotony. Increased inclusion of modern innovations such as gamification, audio books, podcasts and even AR, VR will continue to better the standards of daily learning and create a more immersive experience. Innovation in formats is a great way of simplifying complex subjects and the future will witness more of such developments incorporated into classrooms as learning demands continue to rise.
