EdTech in India

Why in News?

India’s online learning sector is still booming and projected to triple by FY28, valuing Rs.8.5 lakh crore, with hundreds of millions of fresh signups annually.

What is EdTech?

• EdTech – It refers to the education technology sector, which leverages digital tools to make learning more accessible and personalized for students of all ages.

• Important examples – Companies include BYJU'S, Unacademy, and Vedantu, focusing on K-12 education, exam preparation, and upskilling.
• Types

• Benefits

• Drivers of growth – The sector, driven by increasing internet access and the demand for flexible learning, is a significant recipient of venture capital.
• Future prospects – India’s online learning sector is still booming and projected to triple by FY28, valuing Rs.8.5 lakh crore, with hundreds of millions of fresh signups annually.

What are the issues in EdTech in India?

• Content alone strategy – The Indian Edtech industries focusses more on content than interaction among the learners.
• Marginal course completion – In India, fewer than 4% of the students on SWAYAM have completed courses since it began in 2017.
• While worldwide Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) achieve merely 5–15% completion rates.
• The myth that video is access, or that viewing is learning, is repeatedly debunked by the numbers.
• Low household internet – Home internet penetration in rural regions in 2024 was still roughly 25% lower than in the cities, and an enormous percentage of pupils have no day-to-day net access.
• Hazard of content alone strategy – there are three crucial hazards of a content-alone strategy
  • Illusion of access – Having a video does not guarantee that the learner will watch it.
  • Illusion of learning – Viewing a video doesn’t ensure that the student has learned or retained anything.
  • Illusion of equity – Generalised content is not a guarantee that it is appropriate for all learners’ individual language, level, or learning style.

What reforms can be done?

• Active learning tools – Like quizzes, polls, prompt chats, and live peer sessions boost online course completion by an estimated 30–35% over video-only experiences.
• Effective engagement is more than a feature, it’s a proven accelerator of retention, confidence, and performance.
  • For instance, using personalised lesson pacing, local language toggles, and computer-tuned feedback, doubled the rate at which they completed content compared to static video models.
• Developing more interactive podcast – Though there were record enrollments in 2024, the highest-performing online groups were those with engaged peer groups, progress dashboards shared, and scheduled prompts for discussion.
• A podcast is like a radio show you can listen to on-demand, anytime and anywhere, using your phone or computer.
• These had milestone completion rates at levels 40% higher than for individuals working alone.
• Prioritise interactive, frequent engagement – Quizzes, peer problem-solving, and live chat must shift from “add-ons” to “essentials.”
  • Invest in real personalization – Systems must be able to routinely deliver pacing, multi-language proficiency, and programming-independent feedback.
  • Make mentorship mainstream – Every student, regardless of geography, deserves support from trained online guides or community moderators.
• Adding a mentor or support group to the online student experience can increase the completion rate and make remarkable improvements in testing outcomes.
• It’s not about the intellect; it’s about the emotional support system in a lonely virtual world.
  • Build healthy digital communities – Facilitate student-led forums, progress gamification, and social accountability, proven to boost persistence and morale.

What lies ahead?

• Real reform will not be fostered by broadcasting more video but by broadening useful learning instances in terms of engagement, facilitation, and accommodation.
• Most revolutionary EdTech innovations in 2025 and onward are those that address students not as passive end-points, but as active, distinct learners.
• When connection is combined with content, India’s potential for online education is at last achieved.
• India could recast EdTech not as merely the provision of content, but as comprehensive, adaptive education fueled by engagement, propelled by personalisation, and extended by real human relationships.

Reference

The Hindu| EdTech in India