Education is the fourth basic necessity of life. It improves one’s knowledge and skills and develops personality and attitude. While formal education is considered the traditional form of education, with the changing time, coaching for competitive exams has also become a big market. In order to beat the cut-throat competition, be it in jobs, or admission to top colleges, students seek quality mentors. With the advent of technology and ease of access to the internet, Edtech has become a prominent industry.
I had an inclination to work in a field in which I could contribute to the community in a meaningful way. I followed my passion to help students shape their careers by imparting the skillsets that I have. This field gives one satisfaction, constant learning, and respect. At times it may appear to be an easy task, but it requires preparation in the background, which goes unnoticed. Educator needs to cover the topics themselves so that they are confident in the class and are able to tackle any doubts posed by the students. During the class, one has to be patient as a batch of students contains people of a different calibre. While some are quick learners, others may take time to grasp things. So, one needs to maintain a balance in the pace. Contrary to the opinion that a teacher's work is limited to teaching in the classroom, there is a lot to do beyond the teaching time. Solving students’ doubts, guiding them, and helping them cope with stress, are some of the things that are done beyond the classroom. Such things build a bond between a teacher and a student. When a student comes out with flying colours, it is a happy moment for them and a proud moment for us.
Edtech has brought the concept of online teaching. It is advantageous to both parties. Students save time to commute, have the flexibility of time and place, and the most important thing — access to quality teachers beyond the physical boundaries. From a teacher's point of view, they also get the flexibility to teach from anywhere and access a wider pool of students. Although there are some disadvantages such as lack of peer learning, sedentary lifestyle, lack of two-way communication, etc. Only self-motivated and highly disciplined students make the best out of online learning.
As mentioned above, all Edtech firms face challenges when it comes to delivering the same output as offline classes do. While technology is no longer a barrier in most cases, other things do need to be addressed. Organizations are taking steps to improve these issues. Providing video solutions to questions, doubt resolution sessions for students to have increased engagement with teachers, social media events such as Ask Me Anything to bridge the communication gap, etc. are some of the initiatives. This is a disruptive field and will have better processes in place as it evolves.
(The writer is an aptitude trainer)
