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EdTech Landscape In India: What Changed In The Post Pandemic Years

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We launched our first EdTech report in 2020 . Two years later, we take a look at the landscape again and review our findings. In this new report, we share how we envision opportunities to grow in this sector. 

• Blume EdTech Report 2022 Docsend

It was 10th June 2020. Moumita had to figure out a way to teach her students online. Short on resources to purchase a tripod to teach her students, Moumita fashioned a makeshift tripod using a chair, cloth hanger, and cloth pieces. She knew how crucial it was for her students to continue learning and growing during the pandemic that had caught India and the world unprepared.

In August 2020, in the shadows of the early impacts of the pandemic, we published our first EdTech report ‘Summer of Indian Education’ . Two years since then, we have seen several ups and downs, through which one thing remains unchanged - education remains the primary pillar on which our society progresses. And so, the sector has grown wider and deeper despite the ups and downs. We went back and tried to make sense of all that transpired in this time, re-looked at our EdTech report in the wake of a new world, deep-dived into what we see as large opportunity areas going ahead, and compiled all our understanding from the last two years in the Blume EdTech Report 2022 . Here's what we found.

What has changed in EdTech since 2020? { window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText($el.href); $el.classList.add('copied'); $el.blur(); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.add('fadeOut') }, 1500); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.remove('copied', 'fadeOut') }, 2000); }">

The last 24 months have been the most pivotal for the Indian edtech space since the Jio revolution in 2016 that brought online learning to students’ mobile phones in the most remote corners of the country. Here’s a quick look at what changed and how that impacts students, teachers, schools, edtech businesses, and investors:

1) COVID-19 had a larger impact than expected { window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText($el.href); $el.classList.add('copied'); $el.blur(); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.add('fadeOut') }, 1500); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.remove('copied', 'fadeOut') }, 2000); }">

Schools and colleges moved online, after-school tuitions and hobby classes were a hit, and many daycare centers and preschools closed (at least temporarily). All of this opened up a host of opportunities. But, even as we see ‘core education’ going back offline, we believe digital traces will remain in peripheral services around core learning.

2) Edtech startups were able to gain traction globally { window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText($el.href); $el.classList.add('copied'); $el.blur(); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.add('fadeOut') }, 1500); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.remove('copied', 'fadeOut') }, 2000); }">

Even in a pre-COVID world, we saw early signs of Indian Edtech being able to sell abroad – with companies like Eruditus, LeverageEdu and more paving the way. But post-COVID, Indian players thrived globally and saw massive traction across both North America and South East Asia. This helped them capture higher ARPUs and provide services that would have had limited demand back home.

3) Large EdTech companies became even larger via inorganic growth { window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText($el.href); $el.classList.add('copied'); $el.blur(); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.add('fadeOut') }, 1500); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.remove('copied', 'fadeOut') }, 2000); }">

We saw several edtech giants expand into adjacent spaces and spur large-scale consolidation via acquisitions, especially in K12. Because a lot of early stage startups were acquired in the space, these exits also hurt the expectations of early stage investors from the EdTech ecosystem.

4) China EdTech’s crash { window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText($el.href); $el.classList.add('copied'); $el.blur(); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.add('fadeOut') }, 1500); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.remove('copied', 'fadeOut') }, 2000); }">

In 2021, China imposed a ban on for-profit tutoring services focused on public school curricula and entrance exams, which turned out to be catastrophic for China EdTech companies. India benefited as an alternate emerging market to invest in for the large sums of global capital that were earlier flowing into Chinese edtech. While funding in China’s EdTech market decreased by ~75% from 2020 to 2021, funding in India’s EdTech market in the same time period increased by ~60%.

5) COVID effect wears off and EdTech moves back to hybrid { window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText($el.href); $el.classList.add('copied'); $el.blur(); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.add('fadeOut') }, 1500); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.remove('copied', 'fadeOut') }, 2000); }">

Towards the end of 2021 however, the online fatigue set in, COVID became less feared, and schools and colleges reopened in phases. This reduced the ‘hotness’ around EdTech and the subsequent funding boom capitalizing on it. 

To summarise: { window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText($el.href); $el.classList.add('copied'); $el.blur(); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.add('fadeOut') }, 1500); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.remove('copied', 'fadeOut') }, 2000); }">

This is how we see Edtech's evolution in 2021.

How we look at EdTech now { window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText($el.href); $el.classList.add('copied'); $el.blur(); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.add('fadeOut') }, 1500); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.remove('copied', 'fadeOut') }, 2000); }">

However, the last two years have made us rethink our EdTech landscape. Based on our learnings, we chose different axes to break down the sector - age group served, core job to be done, and paying customer persona. 

1) Instead of the revenue model (B2B vs B2C), we looked at the core consumer motivation { window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText($el.href); $el.classList.add('copied'); $el.blur(); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.add('fadeOut') }, 1500); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.remove('copied', 'fadeOut') }, 2000); }">

Is it acing an entrance exam? Is it finding new mentors? Is it something else? This became important because the goal of the consumer determines how much and where they will pay, how they will discover the platform, and how they will behave with the product. 

2) Expanded user palette { window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText($el.href); $el.classList.add('copied'); $el.blur(); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.add('fadeOut') }, 1500); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.remove('copied', 'fadeOut') }, 2000); }">

Most market sizing reports in the past have underestimated TAM for one simple reason - a good product creates its own market. In this report, we covered spaces like 21st century skills, financing, communities, and more.

3) Catalysts of education { window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText($el.href); $el.classList.add('copied'); $el.blur(); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.add('fadeOut') }, 1500); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.remove('copied', 'fadeOut') }, 2000); }">

Businesses that are not directly engaged in teaching but are servicing the overall education sector, have been seen as catalysts since their distribution, stickiness, and ARPU looks different than that of a learning platform. 

Basis the above envisioning of the axes, we reworked our EdTech landscape

As we went deeper into the matrix, we realized that the first generation of unicorns mostly falls into the core education space - Get good marks → Get into college → Get a job. But, we are also seeing the second-gen of unicorns and soonicorns emerge who are outside the core learning/ traditional B2C models, and instead fall into the supplemental learning space like coding classes, and catalysts (who enable or provide support to education providers). 

In the wake of new demand and a new macro environment, we looked at large opportunities over the next few years and the key themes in those spaces: 

1) Learning and Personal Development for children under 8 { window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText($el.href); $el.classList.add('copied'); $el.blur(); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.add('fadeOut') }, 1500); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.remove('copied', 'fadeOut') }, 2000); }">

Companies working on foundational learning, behavioral and personal development, and reading/ awareness/ social skills. The sector saw a boost from COVID as preschools and daycare centers remained shut, and ‘millennial’ parents wanted their children to have a head start before beginning competitive exams and core academic learning.

2) Daycare and preschool { window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText($el.href); $el.classList.add('copied'); $el.blur(); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.add('fadeOut') }, 1500); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.remove('copied', 'fadeOut') }, 2000); }">

As more parents begin to live in nuclear families, and as more women join the workforce, the demand for daycare and preschools will increase. We believe that a huge opportunity lies in hybrid models, micro preschools, and physical centres that offer learning avenues that help students get ahead of their peers.

3) 21st century skills { window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText($el.href); $el.classList.add('copied'); $el.blur(); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.add('fadeOut') }, 1500); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.remove('copied', 'fadeOut') }, 2000); }">

EdTech in 2021 saw the rise of co-curricular products like coding and public speaking and extracurricular products like music and dance. While the market for these spaces is getting saturated, the market for 21st century skills that help with holistic personality and social development is still nascent.

4) College Financing { window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText($el.href); $el.classList.add('copied'); $el.blur(); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.add('fadeOut') }, 1500); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.remove('copied', 'fadeOut') }, 2000); }">

In India, education has traditionally been seen as a puzzle, the solving of which opens doors for economical and social well-being. The rising costs of school and college education have made way for K12 and college education financing players to enable parents to give their children the quality of education “they themselves could not get."

5) Upskilling { window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText($el.href); $el.classList.add('copied'); $el.blur(); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.add('fadeOut') }, 1500); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.remove('copied', 'fadeOut') }, 2000); }">

As a result of increasing aspirations, and competition, we’re seeing upskilling become one the largest opportunity areas in EdTech today - especially catering to white-collar professionals looking at certifications, higher salaries, newer industries or better roles. A significant portion of this is now happening by way of verticalized upskilling - that is, upskilling programs focused deeply on one sector or profession. 

6) Community & Mentorship { window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText($el.href); $el.classList.add('copied'); $el.blur(); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.add('fadeOut') }, 1500); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.remove('copied', 'fadeOut') }, 2000); }">

We are now seeing an increasingly high % of college students and working professionals who are moving beyond the confines of their “core education” and are looking for ways to upskill themselves. Often, these are not via traditional upskilling courses, but as a part of communities, learning cohorts, and organized networks. 

To read more about our view on how the space has changed over the last 2 years, how new opportunities have evolved, and most importantly, to see our in-depth take on each opportunity area, please read the full report here .

Blume's report in the EdTech space builds on our experience of investing in the sector over the last 12 years, as well as our interest in exploring new sub-sectors within the industry for future investments. While we have deep-dived into a few opportunity areas in this report, in no way do we believe that this is a final and exhaustive view of the entire sector. We are always on the lookout to improve our understanding of the sector and to learn about new developments and themes. 

This is a living, breathing, ever-evolving report - please let us know if you have feedback or data that contradicts our view. We look forward to hearing from you :)

On this topic { window.isSecureContext && navigator.clipboard.writeText($el.href); $el.classList.add('copied'); $el.blur(); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.add('fadeOut') }, 1500); window.setTimeout(() => { $el.classList.remove('copied', 'fadeOut') }, 2000); }">

Commentaries { window.issecurecontext && navigator.clipboard.writetext($el.href); $el.classlist.add('copied'); $el.blur(); window.settimeout(() => { $el.classlist.add('fadeout') }, 1500); window.settimeout(() => { $el.classlist.remove('copied', 'fadeout') }, 2000); }">, pandemic market fit is over. edtech will live.

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Is India ready to accept an EdTech-intensive system in post pandemic times? A strategic analysis of India’s “readiness” in terms of basic infrastructural support

• Research Article
• Published: 06 July 2022
• Volume 49 , pages 253–261, ( 2022 )

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• Rohit Kumar Nag   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3559-2259 1  

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The pandemic situation has forced most of the countries to plummet toward a virtual, distant learning format in recent years since 2020. While there are certain undeniable benefits of a virtual, technology-infused setup, it essentially calls for a complete paradigm shift for a country like India which has otherwise been a practitioner of traditional classroom teaching. Despite that, the recent boom in the EdTech market in India coupled with recent government policies indicate that India is going for that paradigm shift. The key thing to note here is that an EdTech-intensive setup is not as primitive as the traditional one. Its feasibility demands more rigorous infrastructural support. This paper looks into the very basic infrastructural requirements of the system in light of a very straightforward strategic analysis model—Objective and Key Results. Under this setup, India’s readiness is measured in terms of the availability of electricity, internet, and digital equipment with the intention of making an accessible, affordable and inclusive EdTech-driven education system. Moving one step further, this paper also tallies the recent policies with the specific shortcomings of the existing system to determine whether or not India is moving on the right path to progress. In a nutshell, it is found that there is ample room for improvement in the current arrangement for implementing a large-scale EdTech-enabled system, but the progress is most certainly happening in the right direction. Recent policies make quite an argument in favor of doing away with the digital divide and building an effective and inclusive EdTech-powered education system for the future generations of citizens.

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In March 2020, after WHO declared the COVID-19 to be a global pandemic, the majority of the countries imposed a “lockdown” to control the spread of this virus, putting an immediate halt to all sorts of economic and social activities. This frozen state of the economies directly impacted all sectors including the education sector as well. A compulsion to find an alternative mode of operation became the burning necessity. In this situation, most of the countries adopted remotely operated distant learning as their key technique to continue the functioning of their respective education sectors. This is where it is to be vehemently pointed out that this adoption was a compulsion and this has impacted the education sector and its stakeholders in various ways depending on several preparedness and acceptance parameters. In other words, a sudden paradigm shift is expected to impact different cohorts of stakeholders differently due to the difference in their ability to accept and manage the so-called “new normal”. Therefore, at the beginning of 2022, while the world moves toward a post-COVID-19 situation, it is increasingly important to discuss the impact of these modifications on the stakeholders. In recent days, the global education scenario has leaned toward technology-infused teaching and learning which includes components of distant learning and remote operations. Specifically, after the pandemic, the world has acknowledged not only the benefits but the sheer necessity of a virtual platform in the education sector. So, instead of a temporary solution to mobilize an otherwise frozen economy, technology-infused operation is being widely thought as the future face of the global education industry.

This is where both the context and the intent of this particular paper come from. Switching to a more technology-infused system is not a minor modification, it is a gigantic leap to a completely different paradigm. Therefore, the prerequisites of this jump are expected to be different than the existing traditional classroom system which has been operating for centuries now. But in the modern setup, the method of teaching and learning is operated through Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Therefore, if ICT being the driving force of the education industry becomes the norm, the prerequisites are to be taken care of to ensure smooth and inclusive operation for optimum yield. In other words, the “readiness” factor is to be considered with utmost importance in order to make this transition a successful and productive one. This particular paper specifically focuses on the situation in India to assess its readiness in taking on an ICT-powered education system. Put differently, this paper scrolls through India’s recent moves to embrace ICT-powered education, the challenges that come with it, and policies to cater to those challenges.

Evolution of educational technology in India

In a world that is espousing ICT-powered education, India is certainly not falling behind. While it is true that India’s education sector is primarily reliant on traditional classroom teaching approach, recent developments in the Indian education sector show clear inclination toward Educational Technology (EdTech). EdTech offers a certain range of major benefits over the traditional setup. Firstly, EdTech allows customization and personalization of the curricula based on individual specific requirements and abilities. Secondly, the involvement of ICT provides ease of access to educational content for both learners and instructors. Lastly, EdTech enables distant learning and remote operations, as discussed previously, removing geographical constraints of learning (Zhang and Aslan 2021). In short, it can be said that EdTech provides a structural easement and thus accelerates the very process of delivering education. This in turn translates into economic growth through increased labor productivity, technological innovation, and implementation of newer technology (Hanushek and Woessmann 2010 ). This is where the social and economic interest begins to grow for any country to implement EdTech.

India is home to the largest population of learners belonging to the K-12 system with a reported enrollment rate (2017–2018) of approximately 250 million learners in 1.5 million schools across the nation (Statista survey data). Therefore, augmenting the education system to reap the benefits of EdTech and ICT-driven learning will surely contribute to the overall human capital formation and subsequent increment in productivity along with technological innovations in India translating into higher economic growth. Incentivized by this motive, the Indian education sector has become the cultivation ground of budding EdTech ventures in recent years. Both private sector and public sector initiatives have been seen to be growing in order to make EdTech more mainstream and an integrated part of the Indian education system.

The stepping stone of the Indian EdTech ecosystem is the launch of the EDUSAT satellite. In September 2004, a project of INR 5.5 billion was conducted by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in order to launch this satellite which was designed to cater exclusively to the educational requirements of the country. In specific, the satellite was used to create virtual classrooms in remote areas of India to deliver education through visualization offered by video programs telecast by the satellite (Nagaratinam 2015 ). In 2008, private players came into the field and e-learning platforms like Extramarks and Khan Academy became popular in India. With this, gradually EdTech started providing successful business models to startups in the Indian market with a vast user base. This gradual increment came to its peak and turned into an EdTech boom in 2015–2016. According to the reports published in The Economic Times and estimations done by Nasscom, in 2015 alone, nearly a thousand EdTech startups came forward to join the EdTech venture in India with an estimated funding of USD 125 million. At the same time, Indian students started joining other internationally recognized platforms as well. According to a MyStory report, in 2015, more than 1.5 million learners joined online courses on the popular US-based platform Coursera.

This rapid growth has only seen an upward trajectory in terms of consumption over time. Parallel to the great potential of the Indian market, the Indian education industry has become the breeding ground of many blooming and booming EdTech startups. Currently, there are approximately 4530 EdTech startups in India of which more than 400 were founded after 2019. Very recently, Indian EdTech startups have attracted nearly $4 billion worth of investments in the past two years, of which $2.2 billion was invested in 2020 alone right after the nationwide lockdown had frozen the education sector of the country. An additional $1.9 billion investment done in 2021 has added 3 more Indian names to the list of global EdTech unicorns (valued at over $1 billion). The Indian name Byju’s, existing in the world EdTech unicorns list since 2017, has now become a decacorn with a valuation of $21 billion (HolonIQ 2022 ). Unacademy, Emeritus, and upGrad are three more Indian EdTech startups that have been included in the list in August 2021, followed by Vedantu in September of that year. Very recently, another Indian startup, Lead School made it to the list in January 2022 (HolonIQ 2022 ). It is to be noted here that Byju’s is currently the world’s largest EdTech startup catering to more than 100 million registered users. These figures make it evident that India is a very lucrative market for EdTech. Additionally, the company has reported that its average user engagement time has gone up by 30% during the pandemic, average daily engagement time has gone up from 71 to 100 min (Economic Times, February 2021).

While on the one hand, the above discussion elaborates privately pursued EdTech ventures in India, like the initiative of EDUSAT, recent government policies also have a keen focus on EdTech. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is the government’s newest arrow in the quiver to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 (to provide quality education to its citizens) which inherits the very concept of EdTech in the day to day educational operations. As already discussed, EdTech has three main components through which it enhances the educational outcomes: customizability of content, accessibility of content, and remote operations. NEP caters to all three of these components. In order to identify and acknowledge student-specific characteristics and infuse them in the learning process, NEP proposes detailed renovation and reintroduction of the e-learning platforms, e.g., SWAYAM and DIKSHA; this will make the system more “student-centered”. Providing e-content and QR code energized textbooks across the entire country through these platforms will give ease of access to educational content. Additionally, keeping in mind the paucity of digital resources, NEP also proposes to use standardized multimedia platforms i.e. radio and television to deliver educational content to the general populace. Apart from this, the top one hundred universities across the country are permitted to start online courses from 30 May 2020 itself which allows students to access courses according to their requirement and preferences without worrying about geographical barriers and the hustles of relocating.

Considering the overall scenario, it is safe to say that EdTech in India is not just an alternative for an otherwise frozen system. The gigantic growth and immaculate presence of EdTech in the veins of the current educational practice in India put forth a clear signal that EdTech is ready to become an integral part of the next generation Indian education system. This brings forth the motivation to discuss different preparedness parameters in the Indian socioeconomic framework to ensure a fruitful and inclusive operation of EdTech in the country.

In the economics of education literature, it is well established that EdTech appreciably widens the horizon of possibilities in the education sector. Most importantly, it accepts the heterogeneity among students to provide a more engaging and well-suited experience of learning (Al Hadwer et al. 2019) which was otherwise missing in the traditional “one-size-fits-all” system. Simultaneously, it is also undeniable that the infrastructural requirement of a majorly EdTech-driven system is not as primitive as the traditional classroom teaching setup. The most critical divisive factor between the two is the requirement for digital infrastructure as EdTech systems highly rely on ICT. This raises the concern to study the “readiness” factor of any country prior to implementing a large-scale EdTech transfiguration (Adam et al. 2021 ).

It is very important to note here that the readiness factor primarily consists of infrastructural preparedness and access to digital resources which in turn depend on the socioeconomic condition and governance of a particular country. These factors are very country-specific and contain irregularity. Conclusions drawn on the basis of parameters observed in one country, cannot be relevant in the case of another. Therefore, because of the irregularity of the domain, the literature is unable to come to a generalized opinion about the readiness (or feasibility in other words) of a full-scale adoption of an EdTech driven system. This question has to be answered on a country level. Specifically, in a developing country like India, the question of readiness is of utmost importance, because within-the-country variations are also to be considered in a large country like India with such a vast population. These within-the-country variations can put barriers among the population and hinder the inclusivity of the venture in totality. This paper attempts to strategically analyze the situation and assess the very basic readiness factors in the way of embracing an EdTech-intensive system in India.

Research question and methodology

With the compulsive switch to the virtual platform along with the push of NEP 2020, a permanent paradigm shift in the Indian education sector is imminent. This paper attempts to assess whether or not India is ready for that shift. The main problem with such a discussion is the subjectivity of the term “readiness” itself. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to have a precise definition of the term “readiness” in order to clearly establish the territory of the upcoming discussion as well as map the procedure of analysis step by step.

With that purpose in hand, one of the most straightforward strategic planning models, Objective and Key Results (OKR) is considered here (Grove 2015 ). OKR is all about setting a specific achievement, also known as the “objective”, and deploying a few measurable quantitative parameters of progress, also known as “key results”, which are then tracked to know how close or how far one is from their respective objective. This particular framework can be adopted quite suitably here. The first step is to identify the objective at hand. Obviously, the objective is to make India ready for an EdTech-intensive education system in post-pandemic times .

The next step is to find out the measurable quantitative parameters (i.e. the key results) to reflect the progress toward the said objective. In order to set up the key results, an approach known as the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) is used. It essentially states that there are a few crucial (measurable) performance parameters that are responsible for the overall effectiveness of the system. Here, studying the literature, one can easily say the first and foremost parameter which is responsible for making an EdTech driven system successful is the availability of the internet along with digital devices. ICT being the building block of EdTech, without internet and digital devices it is simply not possible for any EdTech system to function. The necessity for these is well documented in the literature. However, if one moves one step further, there is a more rudimentary factor to be considered—electricity! Without electricity, it is once again impossible to power up the equipment.

Therefore, electricity, internet, and availability of digital devices can be considered three primary factors which affect the performance of the EdTech system. These are quantifiable parameters as well. Simply by considering the penetration rate, a picture of progress toward the desired “readiness” can be painted. Hence, the research question boils down to the following,

Is India ready to accept an EdTech-intensive system in post-pandemic times , where readiness is measured in terms of

availability of electricity

availability of internet connectivity

availability of digital resources.

In other words, the fields of electricity, internet connectivity, and digital resource availability will be reviewed in detail to figure out how far or how close India is to attaining the desired readiness to have an effective EdTech transfiguration of the education system in the country. In this context, within-the-country variations are also pointed out to render the picture of inclusivity in the system. Additionally, this paper will also take a quick glance at the recent government policies to see if the policies are at par with the measures necessary to address any shortcomings of the current arrangement.

Implication of the key performance indicators

While the data clearly reflects a flourishing business for the EdTech hubs in India, it is important to ensure its inclusivity while discussing a nationwide application. In fact, the transition to a new paradigm affects different cohorts in different ways in conformity with their distinctive values of readiness. Therefore, it is important to include all the stakeholders across all geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds while deciding on the future footsteps of the Indian education system. Notwithstanding the individual preferences and capabilities and their respective effects, infrastructural constraints are to be widely discussed in this regard as well in the context of a developing country like India. This is where the aforementioned “key results” are going to come into play. To understand this wide-ranging diversity across the country, and how that affects the readiness under consideration, the situation is reviewed on the basis of those predetermined parameters: electricity, internet, and access to digital resources.

Key performance indicators

Availability of electricity.

In reference to infrastructural preparedness, the most primary technical requirement of an ICT-driven system has to be electricity. According to the World Bank Global Electrification Database, in 2019, more than 97% of Indian households have electricity added to the list of their available basic amenities. This is undoubtedly a remarkable leap forward from 88% in 2015 and 89.5% in 2016. However, the vast land of India is not so uniform to be treated as a single entity. A very basic division would tell that among the 1.2 billion population, more than 833 million reside in rural areas whereas only 377 million are urban residents (Indian Census 2011). While the situations in rural and urban India are not quite similar, on average the disparity is not that pronounced. In fact, since 2015, the electrification process in rural India has been quite successful according to the data given by the Council of Energy, Environment, and Water (CEEW) (Agrawal et al.  2020 ). The average daily supply of electricity to an urban household is 22 h compared to their rural counterparts, lagging behind only by a minuscule 2 h with an average daily supply of 20 h. However, a further division with respect to states can take one deeper into the scenario. On the one hand, despite the very successful rural electrification project, 2.4 percent of households (mostly rural) still have no electricity in their houses due to the affordability factor. This 2.4 percent of households majorly belong to the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar. Three of these states, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar have been part of the ACCESS program (The Access to Clean Cooking Energy and Electricity—Survey of States) and have shown steep increment in electrification in the rural areas along with Jharkhand, Odisha, and West Bengal. Despite that, there are still people in these states who can not afford electricity. Compared to only 12.5 h daily in 2015, the average electricity availability has significantly increased to 18.5 h daily in 2020. In 2020, 73 percent of rural consumers have reported to be satisfied with the facilities related to the availability of electricity in their households which is a significant increase from only 23 percent in 2015 and 55 percent in 2018. Therefore, despite some hindrance, the overall situation in terms of availability of electricity in rural India has significantly improved after 2015. However, specific states, e.g., Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Bihar are still behind (Indian Residential Energy Survey 2020) with less than 18 h of supply in rural areas and about 20 h in urban areas which lie quite below the average line for India as a whole. In sum, it indicates that while there is some lack of consistency across all states and demographic variations of the country, the holistic picture of the entire country shows a significant improvement over the past few years. But there is definitely room for improvement. For instance, two-third of rural households and two-fifth of urban households still face abrupt power disconnection at least once a day as reported by CEEW. In a nutshell, a significant trend of improvement is evident with some space for refinement in the way of building a sustainable system.

Availability of internet

In the queue, the next is access to the internet. After the introduction of the “Digital India” programme in 2015, several steps were taken in the way of revolutionizing the telecom industry in India and it has significantly increased access to the internet through mobile networks. One of the major contributions came from Jio telecom services introduced by the Reliance group in 2016. In 2021, the world’s second-largest online market (behind China) India had over 560 million internet users with a projected number of 650 million in 2023 (Statista, August 2021). It is true that this constitutes only around half of the existing population in the country. In other words, the internet penetration is only 47% in India (Keelery 2021 ). However, here as well, it is to be noted that this number was only 27% in 2015 (and about 4% in 2007), therefore, it can be thought of as quite a leap forward in the past few years. However, it is important to mention here that while the disparity among the number of internet users in rural and urban India is relatively low, there is a significant gender bias when it comes to the rural population where 58% of the users are male and the rest 42% are female (Statista 2021). Similar to electricity, a disparity is observed from state to state. While the average penetration rate in India is 40 percent, it is 68 percent in Delhi followed by Kerala at 56%. Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal belong to the bottom of the list with a slightly above 30 percent penetration rate (Statista, March 2022).

Availability of digital equipment

Availability of digital equipment has been seen to be the epicenter of the quibble in many cases during the COVID-19 lockdown in the country. In fact, many students have reportedly committed suicide after being deprived of the privilege to join online lectures due to the lack of a smartphone or similar device. Including the incidents that happened in Mysuru, Karnataka (August 2020); Satara, Maharashtra (September 2020), and Punjab (June 2020), scarcity of digital resources has surely been a major contributing factor in the loss of nearly 12,500 lives of students in 2020 alone as reported by Times of India in November 2021 (Kumar 2021 ). The data shows that the number of smartphone users in India is nearly 748 million in 2020 (Statista, September 2021) which is around 57% of the entire population. More importantly, it is to be noted here, that usually, young students do not own their own devices. For instance, a student studying in kindergarten is not expected to have his or her own device. Moreover, as per world bank reports, the per capita income of an Indian individual is USD 1927 which if calculated, turns out to be USD 160 per month. The average price of a smartphone is recorded to be USD 196 in 2020–2021 (Statista, December 2021). Therefore, affordability becomes an issue in this case, specifically for low-income groups. This establishes the fact that in terms of access to digital equipment, there is a serious disparity among people belonging to different socioeconomic backgrounds when it comes to the availability of digital resources. This is one of the major problems dreading the EdTech-driven system. Inclusivity is expected to be hindered in this case.

Recent policies: direction and effects

In a survey conducted by KPMG and Google in 2017, it was vociferously advocated that in order to spread EdTech in the country, it is very important for the citizens to have access to cheap internet and digital equipment (Pandit and Agrawal 2021 ), as well as have the necessary government support in framing “digital-friendly” policies. Therefore, this discussion cannot end without taking a glance at the policies at hand to promote EdTech in the country.

The above discussion carries a subtle essence that disparity in availability and affordability can create a “digital divide” in the country which hampers the fundamental motto of education as a part of SDG—inclusivity (Bonini  2020 )! Therefore, on the one hand, government policies are to be focused on systematic modifications to the structure in terms of making suitable curricula and so on; on the other hand, ensuring equity to every learner irrespective of their demographic position is also of utmost importance.

As mentioned earlier, NEP 2020 is the current milestone of Indian policies with a target to give the Indian education system a detailed overhaul. Keeping NEP at its heart, the National Digital Education Architecture (NDEAR) is deployed to translate the vision of NEP into reality. In NDEAR, a number of issues that plague the Indian education system have been raised and answered. The core essence of NDEAR is to build a decentralized, accessible, enriched, and inclusive system to deliver education to the learners. The foundational idea is to strengthen the ground for all stakeholders in the system including students, teachers, and school administration as well. The NDEAR articulates its objectives to include 170 million learners in the country belonging to the age group of 3–23 in the pool of school-going individuals and parallelly, address the issue of school dropouts. As discussed in the very beginning, NEP is designed to improve the accessibility of educational content. Although the discussion in the previous sections has raised a concern of affordability becoming an obstacle to accessibility, NDEAR offers ample access to both learners and instructors. While giving access to study material such as books, video lessons, virtual laboratories, etc. is a beneficial initiative for students under NDEAR, it also caters to the needs of the instructors by helping them to design better lesson plans, online referral content, and evaluation tools. A moment’s digression is to be done here to understand the importance of catering to both the demand (student) and the supply (instructor) side of the system. The recent literature carries significant evidence that instructors habituated to the traditional system often struggle to make the content engaging yet flexible to cater to different sorts of learners’ requirements and abilities. Another factor that contributes to this hurdle is the low feedback of virtual platforms. Since the interaction is not one-to-one, often it is difficult for the instructors to understand whether the content is suitable enough for the class (Bwire et al. 2020 ). This is why giving adequate support to the instructors is definitely an indispensable part of any digital teaching–learning system.

Strengthening the overall administration is also a part of NDEAR’s motto. The most interesting proposition made in NDEAR is introducing a “coherent multi-channel multimodal learning continuum”, i.e., to help the stakeholders to interact with each other on various platforms including television, radio, etc. as well as web portal, mobile application, and interactive voice response (IVR) with the motto of “anyone can learn” and “anyone can help learn”. Including the initiative of DIKSHA (and other e-learning apps) that has been mentioned earlier, NDEAR also features a unified application program interface (API) for personalized adaptive learning experience for students as well as teacher training, school management, and other content enhancing and managerial purposes.

Now, this policy discussion has to be connected to the primary intent of this paper. The most significant grievances which came up by reviewing the “key results” under reference here are in terms of accessibility and affordability. The discussion about NEP and NDEAR that took place in this paper so far, shows a glimmer of hope that the policies have the potential to make education accessible for everyone. The usage of generic multimedia platforms like radio, television, and IVR which can go beyond the internet availability constraint and deliver educational content to everyone addresses one of the concerns raised here. The rest of the propositions, the e-learning platform, and its features are still expected to be delivered through the internet. Therefore, the internet connectivity issue is still a relevant constraint in the way of implementing an EdTech fueled system nationwide. However, in terms of affordability and availability of digital equipment, very recently, the Uttar Pradesh government has announced to give away 10 million smartphones and tablets to students for free. The first phase of this scheme has been rolled out on 25 December 2021. Similar initiatives have been seen in other states as well which include Haryana, Delhi, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Jharkhand (The Telegraph, November 2021). A similar scheme has been seen in Gujarat in the name of Namo Tablet Yojana 2022 where students will be given tablets at a subsidized price of INR 1000. Therefore, measures are taken to address the lack of digital equipment among students while keeping an eye on the affordability constraint. Hence, the major problems discussed before, as the hurdles toward adopting a more EdTech-intensive system, are being gradually addressed by the recent government policies.

Limitations of this approach

It is evident that India has come a long way to stand where it stands today. While there is still wide space for improvement, the major issues are well addressed by policies in recent times and this can be thought of as a big step forward in making the digital dream come true. It will not be unjust on the basis of the existing discussion in this paper that a worthwhile implementation of the newly designated policy framework can make India stand shoulder to shoulder with the first world EdTech giants like China and USA. However, the strategic framework used in this paper to organize the arguments tends to assume a linear relationship between availability and functionality. In other words, it assumes that if digital equipment is available, it serves the purpose. This is not always the case. There remain two major questions of compatibility and digital literacy along with other minor concerns. Even if a piece of equipment is physically present, it might not be in a suitable condition to be operated in a way one wants to. On the other hand, a particular person, be that a learner or an instructor, might not have sound knowledge about how to operate the equipment. These additional concerns are discussed in the following paragraph with reference to an empirical exercise conducted in 2020.

Since the lockdown happened in the country, and in order to unfreeze the frozen education scenario everyone jumped into the puddle of familiarizing themselves with a virtual setup, a number of things have come forward. While the numbers look very promising in terms of infrastructural penetration, a survey conducted in 2020 that asked the stakeholders about the quality of service they are getting, specified that 80% of the sample population believed that the quality of service can be a limitation for expansion of online education, 70% of the sample population reported that they have faced difficulty in downloading videos from the internet for online education purposes (Wadhwa and Khatak 2020 ). The same study has also pointed out that 62% of the respondents were skeptical with security concerns regarding these online platforms e.g. Google Meet, Zoom, etc. The mishap of Gnosticplyers where 932 million user records were stolen from 44 companies in China (Tong, Zheng, and Wan 2019, December) reminds us that there is always a potential data security threat when it comes to such systems. It is also to be noted that most pre-school learners do not possess a smartphone or a tablet. Giving away devices by a particular state government is undoubtedly a noble initiative. However, if the actual numbers are considered, catering to approximately 250 million learners in the K-12 system alone, is an expensive and highly time-consuming task for the government. As just mentioned, digital literacy has to be taken into account in this regard. Acquiring a digital device alone is not sufficient, it is also important that the individual using it has at least a basic knowledge of how to operate it. Therefore, the availability of resources alone is, once again, not the only challenge being talked about here.

Concluding discussion

The primary question that has been explored in this paper is the readiness of India as an economy to plunge into a more ICT-driven, EdTech-intensive system post the COVID-19 pandemic. This readiness is measured in terms of the availability of (a) electricity, (b) internet, and (c) digital equipment. Obviously, an EdTech-driven system empowers the learners and opens up a new horizon of possibilities in front of them, but on the other hand, unlike the traditional setup, the infrastructural requirement of such a system is not so primitive. It is evident that India has significantly progressed in past few years in terms of infrastructural preparedness. The basic amenities of electricity and internet have a higher rate of availability among the citizens both in rural and urban areas. However, inter-state variation is at large in terms of electrification and internet penetration. For instance, Kerala has one of the best internet penetration and electrification rate in the entire country with 56% population having access to the internet and more than 23 h of daily average availability of electricity in both rural and urban areas. In contrast to that, Uttar Pradesh performs poorly in both cases with only 34 percent of the population having access to the internet and the rural electrification rate being the worst at a daily average of only 16 h. This disparity has to be addressed if digital divide is to be avoided. Although the government makes some promising cases in overlooking this digital divide and delivering educational content via more generic and more easily available multimedia platforms, e.g., television and radio and IVR phone calls and so on; to reap the benefit at its fullest potential, the availability of internet and electricity is to be improved. Programs like online textbooks through QR codes, e-learning platforms, and distant learning will not be effective if the accessibility of the internet is not ensured across the country. The availability of digital equipment has so far been the most crucial of all three points because of the affordability factor attached to it. Specifically for low-income groups, buying digital equipment like smartphones or tablets is beyond the range of affordability. This problem has also been handled quite well by the recent policies where students were given tablets and smartphones for free or at a very low, subsidized price. Altogether, it can be said that despite the enormous room for improvement in terms of infrastructural availability, the rapid growth of the components under reference, and rightly directed government policies to supplement that growth make a promising case in favor of EdTech. India might not be completely ready yet, but it is certainly on the right track to be ready to accept a more EdTech-intensive system in post-pandemic times.

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Nag, R.K. Is India ready to accept an EdTech-intensive system in post pandemic times? A strategic analysis of India’s “readiness” in terms of basic infrastructural support. Decision 49 , 253–261 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40622-022-00313-0

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Edtech Start-ups in the education ecosystem in the post-Covid-19 era in India

2022, Towards Excellence: Journal of Higher Education, UGC-HRDC Gujarat University, India

The widespread and growing use of digital technology is reshaping the teaching-learning process in India. Covid-19 pandemic accelerated such online learning and gave birth to several Education Technology (EdTech) start-ups in India and across the globe. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the forced online has created a digital divide in developing countries like India. The digital divide is not restricted to developing countries but also some developed countries. EdTech companies promise cost-saving, flexible and a personal learning experience (LeX). It is also scalable to reach the unreached population of the country to improve the gross enrollment ratio (GER). These Edtech companies have existed for close to two decades and promised a great future in the education space. The sudden growth of EdTech companies in India also tapped learners' skilling and up-skilling or learning new skills while still enrolling with the colleges and university institutions. As per the funding pattern, India is the most preferred country for Edtech funding by foreign investors. The Government of India has been giving a digital push in the education sector through its various regulatory agencies, fueling growth for Edtech companies in India. The present study evaluates the changing nature of the education ecosystem because of the unexpected impetus of EdTech start-ups in India. The study also explores the potential growth opportunities and sustainability of the Edtech start-ups in India.

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Future of Ed-Tech in India

Recent case studies.

India holds an important place in the global education industry. The country has one of the largest networks of higher education institutions in the world, with ~260 million students enrolled in >1.5 million schools and ~39,000 colleges, primarily dominated by the private sector. In India, the education market stood at US$ 100 billion in 2016 and is expected to reach US$ 180 billion by 2020, presenting itself as a lucrative opportunity for monetisation.

Introduction of technology has led to increasing acceptance of alternative learning modes such as online learning in India. As of 2016, India witnessed a growth in users with 40% of the total population using the Internet. The internet user base is expected to reach 735 million by 2021, highlighting a positive outlook for online education in India. With the highest adoption rate of technology among the youth and an exponential rise in the number of smartphone users, the country will witness an incredible pace of internet growth.

The online education market stood at US$ 247 million in 2016 with ~1.57 million paid users; is expected to expand at a 52% CAGR to reach US$ 1.96 billion in 2021 driven by increased consumer adoption, improvements in offerings and changes in business models. The paid user base is expected to increase from 1.57 million users in 2016 to ~9.6 million in 2021. Out of 1400 edtech companies in the world, India has the second-highest number with 327 companies (10%).

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15 EdTech research papers that we share all the time

We hope you saw our recent blog post responding to questions we often get about interesting large-scale EdTech initiatives. Another question we are often asked is: “What EdTech research should I know about?” 

As Sara’s blog post explains, one of the Hub’s core spheres of work is research, so we ourselves are very interested in the answer to this question. Katy’s latest blog post explains how the Hub’s research programme is addressing this question through a literature review to create a foundation for further research.  While the literature review is in progress, we thought we would share an initial list of EdTech papers that we often reach for. At the Hub we are fortunate enough to have authors of several papers on this list as members of our team. 

All papers on this list are linked to a record in the EdTech Hub’s growing document library – where you will find the citation and source to the full text. This library is currently an alpha version. This means it’s the first version of the service and we’re testing how it works for you. If you have any feedback or find any issues with our evidence library, please get in touch.

Tablet use in schools: a critical review of the evidence for learning outcomes

This critical review by our own Bjӧrn Haßler, Sara Hennessy, and Louis Major has been cited over 200 times since it was published in 2016. It examines evidence from 23 studies on tablet use at the primary and secondary school levels. It discusses the fragmented nature of the knowledge base and limited rigorous evidence on tablet use in education. 

Haßler, B., Major, L., & Hennessy, S. (2016) Tablet use in schools: a critical review of the evidence for learning outcomes . Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 32(2), 139-156.

The impact and reach of MOOCs: a developing countries’ perspective

This article challenges the narrative that Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are a solution to low and middle-income countries’ (LMIC) lack of access to education, examining the features of MOOCs from their perspectives. It argues that a complicated set of conditions, including access, language, and computer literacy, among others, challenge the viability of MOOCs as a solution for populations in LMIC. 

Liyanagunawardena, T., Williams, S., & Adams, A. (2013) The impact and reach of MOOCs: a developing countries’ perspective. eLearning Papers , 33(33).

Technology and education – Why it’s crucial to be critical

A thought-provoking read, Selwyn’s book chapter argues that technology and education should continuously be viewed through a critical lens. It points to how the use of technology in education is entwined with issues of inequality, domination, and exploitation, and offers suggestions for how to grapple with these issues. 

Selwyn, N. (2015) Technology and education – Why it’s crucial to be critical. In S. Bulfin, N. F. Johnson & L. Rowan (Eds.), Critical Perspectives on Technology and Education (pp. 245-255). Basingstoke and St. Martins, New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Moving beyond the predictable failure of Ed-Tech initiatives

This article argues that a narrow vision of digital technology, which ignores the complexity of education, is becoming an obstacle to improvement and transformation of education. Specifically, the authors critically reflect on common approaches to introducing digital technology in education under the guise of promoting equality and digital inclusion.

Sancho-Gil, J.M., Rivera-Vargas, P. & Miño-Puigcercós, R. (2019) Moving beyond the predictable failure of Ed-Tech initiatives. Learning, Media and Technology , early view. DOI: 10.1080/17439884.2019.1666873

Synergies Between the Principles for Digital Development and Four Case Studies

The REAL Centre’s report, which includes contributions from the Hub’s own ranks, is one of the few we’ve seen that provides an in-depth exploration of how the Principles for Digital Development apply to the education sector. It uses four case studies on the work of the Aga Khan Foundation, Camfed, the Punjab Education and Technology Board, and the Varkey Foundation. 

REAL Centre (2018). Synergies Between the Principles for Digital Development and Four Case Studies. Cambridge, UK: Research for Equitable Access and Learning (REAL) Centre, Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge .

Education technology map: guidance document

This report by the Hub’s Jigsaw colleagues accompanies a comprehensive map of 401 resources with evidence on the use of EdTech in low-resource environments. The evidence mapping reviews certain criteria of the resources from sources such as journal indices, online research, evaluation repositories, and resource centres and experts. The type of criteria it maps include: the geographical location of study, outcomes studied, and type of EdTech introduced.  While not inclusive of the latest EdTech research and evidence (from 2016 to the present), this mapping represents a strong starting point to understand what we know about EdTech as well as the characteristics of existing evidence.

Muyoya, C., Brugha, M., Hollow, D. (2016). Education technology map: guidance document. Jigsaw, United Kingdom.

Scaling Access & Impact: Realizing the Power of EdTech

Commissioned by Omidyar Network and written by RTI, this executive summary (with the full report expected soon) is a useful examination of the factors needed to enable, scale, and sustain equitable EdTech on a national basis. Four country reports on Chile, China, Indonesia, and the United States examine at-scale access and use of EdTech across a broad spectrum of students. It also provides a framework for an ecosystem that will allow EdTech to be equitable and able to be scaled.  

S caling Access & Impact: Realizing the Power of EdTech (Executive Summary). Omidyar Network.

Perspectives on Technology, Resources and Learning – Productive Classroom Practices, Effective Teacher Professional Development

If you are interested in how technology can be used in the classroom and to support teacher professional development, this report by the Hub’s Björn Haßler and members of the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge emphasizes the key point that technology should be seen as complementary to, rather than as a replacement for, teachers. As the authors put it, “the teacher and teacher education are central for the successful integration of digital technology into the classroom.” The report is also accompanied by a toolkit (linked below) with questions that can be used to interrogate EdTech interventions.

Haßler, B., Major, L., Warwick, P., Watson, S., Hennessy, S., & Nichol, B. (2016). Perspectives on Technology, Resources and Learning – Productive Classroom Practices, Effective Teacher Professional Development . Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. DOI:10.5281/zenodo.2626440

Haßler, B., Major, L., Warwick, P., Watson, S., Hennessy, S., & Nichol, B. (2016). A short guide on the use of technology in learning: Perspectives and Toolkit for Discussion . Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. DOI:10.5281/zenodo.2626660

Teacher Factors Influencing Classroom Use of ICT in Sub-Saharan Africa

In this paper, the Hub’s Sara Hennessy and co-authors synthesise literature on teachers’ use of ICT, with a focus on using ICT to improve the quality of teaching and learning. They find evidence to support the integration of ICT into subject learning, instead of treating it as a discrete subject, and to provide relevant preparation to teachers during pre- and in-service training to use ICT in classrooms. Although this evidence has been available for a decade, the implications of the paper’s findings are still not often reflected in practice.  

Hennessy, S., Harrison, D., & Wamakote, L. (2010). Teacher Factors Influencing Classroom Use of ICT in Sub-Saharan Africa. Itupale Online Journal of African Studies, 2, 39- 54.

Information and Communications Technologies in Secondary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: Policies, Practices, Trends, and Recommendations

This landscape review by Burns and co-authors offers a useful descriptive starting point for understanding technology use in sub-Saharan Africa in secondary education, including the policy environment, key actors, promising practices, challenges, trends, and opportunities. The report includes four case studies on South Africa, Mauritius, Botswana, and Cape Verde. 

Burns, M., Santally, M. I., Halkhoree, R., Sungkur, K. R., Juggurnath, B., Rajabalee, Y. B. (2019) Information and Communications Technologies in Secondary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: Policies, Practices, Trends, and Recommendations. Mastercard Foundation.

The influence of infrastructure, training, content and communication on the success of NEPAD’S pilot e-Schools in Kenya

This study examines the impact of training teachers to use ICT, on the success of NEPAD’S e-Schools. The e-Schools objectives were to impart ICT skills to students, enhance teachers’ capacities through the use of ICT in teaching, improve school management and increase access to education. Unlike other studies on the subject, Nyawoga, Ocholla, and Mutula crucially recognise that while teachers received technical ICT training, they did not receive training on pedagogies for integrating ICT in teaching and learning. 

Nyagowa, H. O., Ocholla, D. N., & Mutula, S. M. (2014). T he influence of infrastructure, training, content and communication on the success of NEPAD’S pilot e-Schools in Kenya . Information Development, 30(3), 235-246 .

Education in Conflict and Crisis: How Can Technology Make a Difference?

This landscape review identifies ICT projects supporting education in conflict and crisis settings. It finds that most of the projects operate in post-conflict settings and focus on the long-term development of such places. The report hones in on major thematic areas of professional development and student learning. It also presents directions for further research, including considerations of conflict sensitivity and inclusion in the use of ICT. 

Dahya, N. (2016) Education in Conflict and Crisis: How Can Technology Make a Difference? A Landscape Review . GIZ.

Does technology improve reading outcomes? Comparing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of ICT interventions for early-grade reading in Kenya

This randomized controlled trial contributes to the limited evidence base on the effects of different types of ICT investments on learning outcomes. All groups participated in the ‘base’ initiative which focused on training teachers and headteachers in literacy and numeracy, books for every student, teacher guides that matched closely with the content of the students’ book, and modest ICT intervention with tablets provided only for government-funded instructional supervisors. The RCT then compared outcomes from three interventions:  (1) base program plus e-readers for students, (2) base program plus tablets for teachers, and (3) the control group who were treated only with the base program. The paper finds that the classroom-level ICT investments do not improve literacy outcomes significantly more than the base program alone, and that cost considerations are crucial in selecting ICT investments in education.

Piper, B., Zuilkowski, S., Kwayumba, D., & Strigel, C. (2016). Does technology improve reading outcomes? Comparing the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of ICT interventions for early-grade reading in Kenya. International Journal of Educational Development (49), 204-214.

[FORTHCOMING] Technology in education in low-income countries: Problem analysis and focus of the EdTech Hub’s work

Informed by the research cited in this list (and much more) – the Hub will soon publish a problem analysis. It will define our focus and the scope of our work. To give a taste of what is to come, the problem analysis will explain why we will prioritise teachers, marginalised groups, and use a systems lens. It will also explore emergent challenges in EdTech research, design, and implementation.

EdTech Hub. (2020). Technology in education in low-income countries: Problem analysis and focus of the Hub’s work (EdTech Hub Working Paper No. 5). London, UK. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3377829

It is important to note that we have included a mix of research types at varying levels of rigour, from landscape reviews and evidence maps, to critical reviews and case studies. Our list is not comprehensive and has some obvious limitations (they are all in English, for one). If you are interested in exploring more papers and evidence, don’t forget to check out the EdTech Hub’s growing document library , where you will find not just links to the full papers in this list but over 200 resources, with more being added each day.

What interesting EdTech research have you recently read, and what did you take away from it? Let us know in the comments section or on Twitter at @GlobalEdTechHub and use #EdTechHub

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Impact of EdTech on lifelong learning

EdTech is transforming the very nature of learning, making it more accessible, personalized, and lifelong. By removing barriers and providing new opportunities, it is empowering individuals to take control of their learning journey and pursue their aspirations throughout their lives. As the sector continues to evolve, it gives way to more innovative and transformative ways of learning, enabling individuals to thrive in a rapidly changing world

The education sector has been undergoing a profound transformation, driven by perennially evolving technology, giving impetus to digital literacy. This transformation is not merely about the adoption of new tools and platforms; but is also about overhauling the very nature of learning, making it more accessible, personalized, and lifelong in the process. At the heart of this transformation lies EdTech, which provides advanced solutions to complement traditional methods while augmenting the learning process.

EdTech allows flexibility, opening up a world of possibilities for lifelong learning. It enables individuals to pursue their interests, enhance their skills, and adapt to the ever-changing demands of the workforce.

In this article, let’s delve into the transformative impact of EdTech on lifelong learning, exploring the key mechanisms by which technology is reshaping the educational landscape.

Accessibility and equity

EdTech has the potential to democratize education, making it more accessible to individuals regardless of their location, socioeconomic background, or physical limitations. Online learning platforms and digital resources have expanded the reach of education to remote areas and underserved communities.

EdTech comes with the ability to break geographical barriers, allowing individuals to learn things anytime, anywhere, and at their own pace.

Personalisation and engagement

EdTech tools can personalize the learning experience, providing learners with customized content and tailored pathways. Employing adaptive learning technologies, it can modify instruction to meet the individual interests, learning styles, and progress of learners. This personalized approach can enhance engagement, motivation, and, ultimately, learning outcomes among the students.

Continuous learning and upskilling

In today’s rapidly evolving world, the ability to learn continuously and adapt to new skills is crucial for success. EdTech plays a pivotal role in enabling individuals to pursue lifelong learning, ensuring learners stay abreast of industry trends, acquire new skills, and advance their careers. EdTech democratizes education by providing accessible and flexible learning opportunities around the clock. By focusing on skill-based education while fostering networking and collaboration opportunities, contributes to immersive and continuous learning. These features empower individuals to adapt to the ever-changing demands of the modern workplace and thrive in today’s dynamic world.

Collaborative learning and communities

Edtech platforms and tools can foster collaboration and community building among learners, enabling them to share knowledge, connect with experts, and engage in peer-to-peer learning. This collaborative approach can enhance the learning experience and promote a sense of belonging.

Real-world applications and problem-solving

EdTech tools have revolutionized education by bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world applications.

They provide learners with hands-on opportunities to apply their skills and solve problems in practical contexts, making learning more meaningful, engaging, and relevant. This approach prepares learners for the challenges they will encounter in their careers and personal lives, fostering critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and adaptability. EdTech tools empower learners to become active participants in their learning journey, transforming them from passive recipients of information to engaged problem solvers who can make a real impact on the world.

Empowering teachers for resilient infrastructure

Looking at the wide gamut of benefits technology has to offer, it can immensely contribute to revolutionizing the sector. Conducting regular training of faculty is the primary step towards building a robust infrastructure for education and, in turn, shaping the future of students. By bringing about the automation of basic repetitive tasks and paperwork, it can reduce the major workload of teachers.

Allowing the additional time to explore innovative teaching pedagogy, technology comes in handy in enhancing understanding and reception among students. At the same time, enabling teachers to do a lot of research to identify the gaps existing in the industry, it paves the way for devising ingenious solutions to make the class more interactive and productive.

Conducting regular training of faculty is the primary step towards building a robust infrastructure for education and, in turn, shaping the future of students. EdTech is transforming the very nature of learning, making it more accessible, personalized, and lifelong.

By removing barriers and providing new opportunities, it is empowering individuals to take control of their learning journey and pursue their aspirations throughout their lives. As the sector continues to evolve, it gives way to more innovative and transformative ways of learning, enabling individuals to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

(The author is the founder and CEO of Motion Education)

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India likely to export almost 18 million tonnes of rice in 2024-25: USDA

Supplies increase year to year on record production at 527.6 million tons that more than offsets lower beginning stocks.

Photo: Bloomberg

Listen to This Article

Slow purchases in some states drag rice procurement for central pool, centre keeping all options open to curb rice prices: food secretary, after curbs, non-basmati rice exports fell sharper than basmati rice, uttar pradesh govt transfers nearly rs 11,200 crore to paddy farmers, need for collective effort to improve dsr paddy cultivation: white paper, uttar pradesh govt plans to promote agri startups, introduce ai in farming, every rupee invested in agri research yields rs 13.85, says study, madhya pradesh farmers struggle to make the most of soaring wheat prices, govt lifts ban on onion exports; imposes min export price of $550 per tonne, centre imposes 40% duty on export of onions with effect from may 4.

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First Published: May 12 2024 | 11:38 PM IST

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