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History and evolution of Education in India
India's education ecosystem has historically and culturally been a focal point of discussion, producing the world's most dynamic leaders, philosophers, and thinkers.
People from worldwide are drawn to India's Vedic "Gurukul" system because of its distinct "OS (operating system)," in which teachers and students reside together for learning purposes.
However, the system has evolved from "Gurukul" to incorporating various first-world curricula. But it has maintained its unique teaching technique based on holistic one-on-one learning where teachers still obtain the same title and respect.
Every Indian today recognizes the value of Education and the potential for intellectual mobilization contributing heavily to personal development. The government also prioritizes it because it is the foundation for facilitating and acquiring skills for obtaining a professional job in India.
The education system in India is entirely the responsibility of state governments. The curriculum comprises elementary, intermediate, and secondary levels that vary greatly depending on the state, private, or international board.
Most state board curricula adhere to the five-year primary schooling, five-year secondary schooling, and two-year higher-secondary schooling model to maintain a national standard and uniformity while allowing the country's rich heritage and customs to develop and prosper through step-by-step subject knowledge.
Lectures are taught in regional languages with English as a second language in state-run public schools and vice versa in private schools. However, that doesn't differ in any teaching method of the country, with both being equally effective.
Nonetheless, transitioning from "Gurukul" to the educational building was the first step in India's rise in Education. It later transitioned with modern technology using projectors in classrooms with loaded video-enhanced educational content creating an entire modern transition of Education in India.
A Deep Dive into the Online Education Revolution
In India, public and private schools and teachers are embracing various modern and particularly technologicalized education delivery methods such as projector-enhanced learning, modern attendance, book and paper learning, and presentee.
Together with academics, modernization has helped schools address students' physical and emotional needs for them to compete on a worldwide level in terms of education, academics, conceptual clarification, and, most significantly, introduction to modernization systems.
Schools began pushing students to get more familiar with technology to maximize their potential for an effective learning experience. As previously said, using technology in classrooms in India has made kids and parents digitally savvy.
It did, however, predict that it would not be long before schools in India were digitalized and online. Education in India evolved and advanced with the widespread use of mobile devices and computer systems.
Furthermore, the government's major effort, Digital India, was a booster dose in India's education system. The curriculum, balanced between digital and physical teaching, blends a high-quality understanding with practical student guidance.
The booster-dose
COVID-19 was the catalyst booster-does responsible for the rise of online learning in India. Before the Pandemic, people were anxious about getting online learning in India to understand how it would be technology-powered, convenient, and student-centric.
Still, they did not expect such a sudden jump to ever happen.
The Pandemic had a big part in familiarizing individuals from all segments and tier cities in India with online learning. It resulted in the widespread use of online classes and courses in India to learn skills and produce portfolios and educational materials.
When most schools, institutions, and classes transitioned to online methods to ensure learning continued while recreating the in-person experience of studying and teaching online from home, the pace of digital adoption encouraging technology in education became rapid.
Most people found the Pandemic's technological boost beneficial, especially the working population because it helped them to focus and understand their child's educational growth by having both of them in the same place, one working and the other studying, to have a clear observation.
Since the Pandemic, online learning has become a habit for some, a necessity for others, and a habit for others, significantly changing how we learn and, more importantly, how we want to learn.
The Rise of EdTech in India
EdTech, or online education, has carved out a little niche in India's education sector. The worldwide online education industry increased to over $250 billion during the Pandemic, up from less than $180 billion in 2019.
According to worldwide market research insights (1), the EdTech industry is expected to rise to USD 586 billion by 2027, with India playing a prominent role. EdTech in India has risen fourfold since 2019, with around 40 million students attending higher education each year now a part of EdTech.
To meet the increased technology requirements caused by the Pandemic, around 40% of employees were forced to reskill through professional certificates. Users began looking for online courses in India, which contributed considerably to the no-age limit expansion of Edtech in India.
There are currently 10,587 EdTech startups in India, with online learning poised to be India's next digital export to the globe. Much of this was fueled by government initiatives, particularly its recognition of the development of EdTech in India.
Furthermore, the surge in fundraisings and mergers saw many innovations for effective online learning and development, creating a secure area for online exams in India, accompanying study resources, and so on, now online rather than offline.
According to the IAMAI-Kantar ICUBE (2) report, India had 622 million active online users during the Pandemic. Due to rising adoption rates in rural and small towns across the country, the figure is predicted to rise to roughly 45% by 2025, reaching 900 million.
As previously said, the increasing usage of mobile devices and the internet in rural regions would simplify for EdTech companies to reach a bigger customer base and scale their operations, resulting in greater development of new EdTech solutions geared to satisfy the needs of rural India.
The role of government in the rise of EdTech in India
The government of India's increased focus on the EdTech sector has created a more welcoming environment for EdTech entrepreneurs to operate and launch initiatives to drive the industry's and the country's growth and development.
The Indian government strongly supports online education by investing extensively in EdTech businesses and establishing policies such as the National Education Policy to encourage the usage of online learning platforms and digital educational resources.
The policy's emphasis on technology in education has increased demand for EdTech products and services, opening up possibilities for Indian entrepreneurs to enter the market and for established enterprises to develop a solution to satisfy the increasing needs for online education in India.
The government created enormous opportunities for foreign investors with its policies allowing 100% foreign direct investment in the education sector for startups under the government route of licensing, which is the standardized criteria of corporations in India.
The government initiatives simplified and streamlined the process by facilitating international collaboration and sharing concepts, ideas, and strategies for effectively improving the growth of EdTech in India.
Technological breakthroughs are advancing the growth of EdTech startups in India.
Due to the obvious Pandemic-led development of technical breakthroughs, online education in India has undergone a complete revolution fueling the growth of EdTech startups in India, which combine novel features and approaches to effective online content delivery.
Simulation-based experiential learning utilizing various breakthrough technologies such as VR and AR with AI and ML-powered automation, outcome-oriented teaching, micro-learning, and effective learning has created constructive participation attracting students to study effectively.
Combined, all of these elements boosted online education in India and the learning experience for students. Teachers were also more likely to study technology and become more advanced, which is obvious, but this resulted in the overall nation's development.
As previously stated, online education in India has been around for a while, but it has only seen or achieved a decade's worth of growth in the last two years, thanks to the Pandemic, establishing close collaboration between formal schooling and EdTech entrepreneurs in India.
Now, the sector is focusing on long-term growth by providing effective methods of seamless education aided by digital solutions relevant to the global market, with growing acceptance, investments, and innovations driving the future of EdTech in India.
Top 10 EdTech startups in India
- BYJU'S (3)
- Unacademy (4)
- UpGrad (5)
- Vedantu (6)
- Classplus (7)
- Eruditus (8)
- LEAD School (9)
- Leap Finance (10)
- Cuemath (11)
- Toppr (12)
The Future of EdTech in India
With the government investing extensively in education, the future of EdTech in India will undoubtedly be very technologically savvy, appealing, and interesting to witness. It is also likely to continue to grow alongside increasing EdTech startups in India.
There will be increased potential for EdTech startups in India to create creative solutions for the Indian education sector that focus on effective learning, virtual exposure, immersive experience, and how they can attract students to study.
With increasing internet penetration, there is a growing demand for online management courses and resources in India. EdTech startups in India must now focus on providing a high-quality online learning experience that is well-positioned to take advantage of and effectively utilize technology.
Easy access to educational resources would also be beneficial in this case. The greater the emphasis on India's low-income cities, the greater the progress of EdTech startups and education in India.
With EdTech companies and startups on the rise, there are still many parts of India where students cannot access high-quality education. The rural crowd of India has the potential and vision to solve the majority of development-related problems, which holds the key to the growth of EdTech in India.
The future of EdTech in India is dependent on how efficiently EdTech startups reach low-tier cities and improve online learning as a mode-for-all feature rather than making it a mode-for-top-tier-only feature.
