Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Little Alia got admission in the most prestigious school of Bhopal last year. She hasn’t gone to school once. Now, she has been promoted from Nursery to KG class but she doesn’t know how a classroom looks like.
Alia has been attending online classes now for over 18 months. She is not alone as there are more than 10,000 such children who haven’t experienced classrooms studies. Besides school’s classes, her mother had downloaded other educational applications for her.
“Most students from schools to colleges have spent their 18 months learning virtually through online classes. Their parents have provided them apps like BYJU’s etc. Ed-Tech (Education Technology) has come as a saviour for the lockdown generation,” said Jaideep, a teacher, who left job and is now tutoring with help of edu-apps.
“Teachers can never be replaced by any technology or apps but Ed Tech has enhanced the reach of teachers. Ed Tech is now a new school and instructor for today’s generation,” said Jaideep. Reports suggest that remote learning was more challenging for students of early elementary education, he added.
Software engineer Jagdish Tripathi, whose daughter studies in class 5, says that the Ed Tech has now emerged as new teacher and they supplement school teachers for good. “While schools are bound with specific syllabus and books, the Ed Tech is an open space with limitless content for students,” said Tripathi.
“The Covid pandemic has battered education system around the world. Imagine the scenario if Ed Tech options were not available,” said Jessi George, a senior teacher from missionary school.
Ed Tech market in India $ 700-800 million
According to reports, Edu-tech platforms have seen their user base increase by over 10 times in past one year. The current market for Ed Tech is estimated at $ 700-800 million. Experts say this industry is expected to reach $ 30 billion in next 10 years.
Advantage
According to educationist Shahid Aslam, e-learning offers personalisation. To cater to the needs of every student as per their requirements, e-learning platforms provide a personalised way of teaching and learning that is solely customised as per the individual. When they decide what to learn, they remain interested in the course.
“While millions of trees are cut down for making papers for the traditional method of learning, mobile apps in education require just a download. It means greener earth for future generations,” said Shahid.
E-learning allows the students to measure their performance in real-time. This feedback gives students a faster and more accurate analysis of their learning progress.
