The education sector in India has been undergoing a rapid transformation ever since it received the added leverage from technology. The most prominent feature of education technology, which currently is making the rounds in schools and popular adverts is the Smart Class venture, which since its conception in the 1990s changed the face of school education in India.
The concept was first introduced by Shantanu Prakash’s Educomp Solutions in 2003. EducompSmartclass went on to become an integral part of the classrooms, owing to its interactive teaching. Students studying in the smart classes were found to be more in tune with the learning methodologies and were more adept at grasping concepts as compared to students who still followed the traditional way of classroom learning.
The spark ignited by Educomp Solutions soon transformed into India’s first ed-tech revolution with several other entrepreneurs following the footsteps of Shantanu Prakash. Currently, the ed-tech industry is growing at a fast pace, with several new startups emerging every year. Ventures like BYJU’s have even attracted investment from big shots like Tencent Holdings and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.
This development comes at a time where education in India is facing a lot of heat due to incumbencies and mishaps in examinations, bad infrastructure or otherwise poor learning approach for students.
The Indian education sector has long been subjected to scrutiny over outdated curriculum and promotion of rote learning. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, during his visit to India, was quick to point out a major flaw in the Indian education system – the lack of creativity. The emphasis on scoring more robs school children of their innovative mindset, creating a bunch of people possessing bookish knowledge but unable to think beyond that.
However, the tide seems to be changing with the growing ed-tech sector in India. A joint report by Google and KPMG indicated the education industry in India to grow eight times by 2021, the value reaching $1.96 billion. The Digital India campaign started by PM Narendra Modi has acted like a catalyst to the development of the ed-tech sector.
At this time, stakeholders, school boards and startups would look to redefine the scope of education’s development in India – other than the details around capital investments.
Smart Classes hold immense possibilities. Most importantly, the concept addresses almost every element the current education system in India lacks. The endless list of merits of the setup vouches for its ability to fulfil the nation’s goals for the transformation of the country’s learning scenario.
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