How Educational Start-Ups Are Changing Life Of A Student Perhaps the greatest challenge before Edutech start-ups in India is digital divide.

The last decade has witnessed a tremendous growth of Edutech start-ups in India with Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai emerging as centers of revolution. Advanced information technology and entrepreneurship skills are pushing the country from traditional blackboard-based education system to modern ICT-based learning experience. The people of India have developed a positive attitude towards personalized multimedia-based educational course in a decade. The Indian education scenario started changing when Educomp introduced the concept of smart classrooms in schools. In a very short span, more and more private schools in India became keen to have smart classes. With time, there have been many positive contributions made by Edutech start-ups in the education system.

The Indian education scenario started changing when Educomp introduced the concept of smart classrooms in schools. In a very short span, more and more private schools in India became keen to have smart classes. With time, there have been many positive contributions made by Edutech start-ups in the education system.

Firms such as Dronstudy.com, Byjus and Meritnation have positively impacted lives of millions of students in more ways than one. They are making a social impact on the youth of India by connecting them with technology and giving them services, which they never ever thought of before. These online platforms are providing online tuitions to students at home. Career counseling from an expert career counselor is just a click of mouse away. Preparatory courses for taking competitive exams are also being provided by these companies and they have brought virtual classrooms into existence. Dronstudy.com has helped a village boy, Om Pandey, from Raipur, Chhattisgarh top the International Science Olympiad. The Edutech companies aid students in personalized learning and in a number of other ways.

Personalized Learning

Personalized learning has become possible now, thanks to many Edutech start-ups. These Edutech start-ups are providing courses according to the personal needs and weaknesses of students. They are also creating educational models which are student-led and teachers are facilitators here. Dronstudy.com has shaped the course tutorials and the designed the learning process in a way that pave the way for individual development, doing away with one-for-all formula of study.

Choose Your Teachers

There is no need to cling to local teachers, who have not been able to help you out with your studies. With the advent of Edutech start-ups, students have the option to choose their teachers from plenty of specialized faculty members.

Adaptive Learning

These start-ups have developed educational models based on adaptive learning, which aims to get rid of traditional rote learning. Now, students have the option to decide what to study and how much to study and get evaluated on the basis of individual strength and weakness on the real time basis. Dronstudy.com Learning Management System and other start-ups allow the student to compare his rank with that of other students across India.

Study On Your Own Pace

Video lecture-based learning has simplified the task for students to study according to their own understanding and pace. These lectures can be played any number of times to master difficult concepts. Crowded classrooms are slowly making way for pre-recorded video-based learning modules.

24x7 Learning Resources

Edutech companies have now taken learning beyond a time-and-space-restricted classroom environment into a 24x7 online zone. These video lectures and assessment systems are available with students 24x7. Now, students get to decide when and how much they have to study. There is no need to go to tutorial centers to study.

Study Anywhere Anytime

Learners can now not only access information and learning tools anywhere and anytime, but also clear doubts and take guidance from tutors or other learners whenever required. It is well suited to pupils living in big and metro cities where wasting travel time and even security are grave areas of concern. I would like to share the story of a girl, Suman, who live in a small town near Bihar's Muzaffarpur. Her parents are worried about her safety and feel scared to send her to tutorial centre. Now, she can study at home with the help of Dronstudy.com videos, without having to compromise with the quality of learning.

The Challenges Ahead

Perhaps the greatest challenge before Edutech start-ups in India is digital divide. Though the country has the second highest number of Facebook users in the world, Internet penetration in the entire population is still below 10 per cent according to the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).

People's acceptability to such courses is another area of concern and further the Edutech companies have to compete with traditional bricks and mortar study centres. The lack of skill in using computer and communication technology also prevents people from accessing digital information. Poor access to computers also causes a digital divide. In India the ability to purchase or rent the tool to seek digital information is less among the masses.

Language barrier is another issue worth mentioning here. Today, information content on the Internet is mostly in English, which is a barrier for people whose primary language is not English. There is a great need to bring uniformity in curriculum and education standards across all education boards in India.

The Silver Lining

There is huge demand of technology in the education sector. There are an estimated 3,00,000 to 4,00,000 low-cost private schools with an average enrollment of 400 students in India, serving to almost 50 per cent of urban students and 21 per cent of pupils in the rural areas. Apart from this, there are lakhs of government schools, which really need good education tools and technology to help the students studying there. This scenario determines the role of these start-ups to connect with the student population in the whole country with the thread of technology and enrich their learning experience. Government programs such as Digital India and Start-up India will help bring out accessibility and affordability to all students in India in the long run.