Education startups show the way

The development and expansion of technology have revolutionised every human activity, including the exchange of knowledge and information. Today, the format of education has been changed altogether after the advent of IT and innovative developments in mobility technology. A few educational startups gave a smart makeover to the education sector in India. And one of the new means that is widely gaining opportunity in India is K-12, a term used to signify the education imparted in the school grades before college, from Kindergarten (K) to Class 12. This technological and cultural shift brought some drastic changes in the manifestation and execution of new teaching modules both at the school and university level. 

Advent of ICT by start-ups

Introduction of ICT in the education sector completely revamped the traditional system of learning and new format which is known as online education bridged the gap between schools and knowledge seekers. This virtual learning programme allows students to learn at their own pace. There are a wide variety of the offbeat courses which students can opt as per their interest, convenience and availability to take classes. 

The inclusion of technology in the education sector by the startup firms is a commendable initiative, which opened new vistas for the businesses planning to enter the education sector. Right decision at the right time provided them a cutting-edge over the late entrants, but it doesn’t mean that scope for new players is limited. In fact, it is just a start, and a lot is yet to happen.

International collaborations

After noticing the enviable growth in India’s education sector, many foreign universities are keen to embark on India, and the majority of them are looking for fruitful collaborations with domestic institutions. Speedy Internet access, cloud technology, digital whiteboards and smart gadgets are now making a paradigm shift in the Indian education system. The virtual education system not only inculcates interesting learning habits in school children, but also motivates them to take part in various discussions to share their views and ideas. 

By integrating advanced technology in education system, these startups are helping students to get boundless information and encouraging them to try, make mistakes and correct themselves. The incorporation of technology in education system also helps educators to track and assess student progress. 

Reinventing learning process

Undoubtedly, an interactive mode of learning triggers the gray cells of a student and invites her/him in participative learning process. Therefore, reinforcing the classroom learning through games and other fun activities help them to understand a concept and its practical usages in all the subjects, especially, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geography and English language. So, the games provide an opportunity to understand the theory via practical route. Moreover, those students who participate more in online learning benefited the most.

Different from the conventional concept of learning only through theory, smart education gives emphasis to practicality. Unlike typical classroom activity, smart education system involves a more teacher-student communication, in which a student can record a video summarising what they’ve learnt and send it to the teacher by e-mail. The teacher then evaluates the performance and provides feedback accordingly. There are a few schools who also offer ‘blended learning,’ which combines virtual learning with face-to-face instruction. Even some studies suggested that teaching, combining online learning with face-to-face elements produce better results than solely online education. 

Virtual learning

Relying more on virtual learning will help to improve productivity as well as reduce the education cost. It is estimated that if students spent one hour per day in virtual learning, a school could reduce its teaching staff about one-sixth. And then this cost-saving can be utilised in teacher training to improve their quality and effectiveness. The new educational revolution will help in making more smarter, independent and self-reliable individual. The smart education system is a need of time that has been developed to enhance and improve education at all levels, which is simply not possible through the old methods of teaching. 

There is a need to harness these technologies in education effectively to empower the teachers and giving them access to impart knowledge in a more interesting and pragmatic manner. Subsequently, it will also leverage the interest of the students in exploring more avenues to acquire knowledge other than the textbooks. These things will ultimately improve the performance of the students, during the study and afterwards in their professional life. 

(The writer is director of College of Engineering, Roorkee)