A study of innovative ed tech start ups & businesses in the emerging markets and economies

PROJECT REPORT ON
“A Study of Innovative EdTech Start-Ups & Businesses in the
Emerging Markets and Economies”
With Special reference of Covid-19 Pandemic
FOR THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR
THE AWARD OF DEGREE OF
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
(Session: 2018-2020)
Submitted to Dean
Submitted by: Submitted to:
Agam Mishra CA Vinod K. Sharma
MBA 4th
Semester Professor, FCM
1802604001
RUM185265
Faculty of Commerce & Management
Rama University, Kanpur
Pin-209217

A Project report on
“A Study of Innovative EdTech Start-Ups & Businesses in the
Emerging Markets and Economies”
With Special reference of Covid-19 Pandemic
Project Report submitted to the
Faculty of Commerce & Management
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Submitted by
Agam Mishra
MBA – Fourth Semester
Roll No.-1802604001
Under the guidance of
CA Vinod K. Sharma
Professor, FCM

Certificate from Guide
This is to certify that the Final research project report entitled, “A Study of Innovative
EdTech Start-Ups & Businesses in the Emerging Markets and Economies” - With
Special reference of Covid -19 Pandemic in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the award of the Masterof Business Administration (MBA) is a record of original
research project report undergone by Agam Mishra, Roll No.-1802604001 during the
year 2018 - 2020 of his study in the Faculty of Commerce & Management, Rama
University, Kanpur, under my supervision and the report has not formed the basis for
the award of any degree or other similar title to any candidate of any Institution.
I wish him all the best for bright future ahead.
Signature of Guide
CA Vinod Kumar Sharma
Professor, FCM, Rama University
Place: Kanpur
Date: 05/06/2020

DECLARATION
I, Agam Mishra, hereby declare that the Final Research Project Report, entitled, “A
Study of Innovative EdTech Start-Ups & Businesses in the Emerging Markets and
Economies” - With Special reference of Covid -19 Pandemic, submitted to the Faculty
of Commerce & Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award
of Master In Business Administration is a record of original research project report
undergone by me during the period April - May2020 under the supervision and guidance
of Mr. Vinod Kumar Sharma, Professor, FCM and it has not formed the basis for the
award of any degree or other similar title to any candidate of any Institution.
AgamMishra
Signature of the Student
Place: Kanpur
Date: 05/06/2020

Preface
A Professional course in Master of Business Administration is incomplete unless the
theoretical knowledge required in the class room is backed up by practical exposure as
theories alone do not give perfection to any discipline. The gap between theory and
practiced is bridged by the market research report, which has been an integral part of the
syllabus. This present research project report is an image of what I have done and
observed during my final research project in “A Study of Innovative EdTech Start-
Ups & Businesses inthe Emerging Markets and Economies” - WithSpecial reference
of Covid -19 Pandemic.
I have tried my level best to be as a systematic as possible and to avoid plagiarism.

ABSTRACT
One of the most important aspects of technology in education is its ability to level the field of
opportunity for students. Technology can be a powerful tool for transforming learning. It can
help affirm and advance relationships between educators and students, reinvent our
approaches to learning and collaboration, shrink long-standing equity and accessibility gaps,
and adapt learning experiences to meet the needs of all learners. Our schools, community
colleges, adult learning centers and universities should be incubators of exploration and
invention. Educators should be collaborators in learning, seeking new knowledge and
constantly acquiring new skills alongside their students. Education leaders should set a vision
for creating learning experiences that provide the right tools and supports for all learners to
thrive. However, to realize fully the benefits of technology in our education system and
provide authentic learning experiences, educators need to use technology effectively in their
practice. Furthermore, education stakeholders should commit to working together to use
technology to improve education. These stakeholders include leaders, teachers, faculty, and
other educators, researchers, policymakers, funders technology developers, community
members and organizations, and learners and their families and of course, Ed-Tech Start-Ups.
Implementing methods and strategies that would lead to progressions of the system of
education is one of the important goals of individuals, particularly the ones, who are in
leadership positions. In urban and rural communities, it is essential for the leaders to put into
practice the approaches that would lead to up-gradation of the system of education.
Innovation and educational technology are regarded as vital aspects that would lead to
progression of the system of education. In educational institutions at all levels, instructors are
making use of technologies to impart information to the students in terms of academic
concepts. Furthermore, students are encouraged to make use of technologies to prepare their
assignments and projects. The members of the educational institutions need to augment their
competencies and abilities that would enable them to carry out their tasks satisfactorily. The
main concepts that have been taken into account in this research paper include, significance
and meaning of innovation in education, benefits of innovation and educational technologies,
barriers to innovation in education, and shaping of innovation by human capital. It is
necessary to promote innovation and educational technology.

Index
Chapter Title Page
1 Introduction 1-3
2 The Industry 4-12
3 Objective and Scope of the Study 13-18
4 Literature Review 19-25
5 Research Methodology 26-28
6 Data Analysis and Interpretations 29-41
7 Findings & Conclusion 42-46
8 Recommendations & Limitations 47-53
9 References or Bibliography 54
10 Key Words 55

List of Figure or Charts
Figure No. Name Page
Figure No. 1.1 Fitting the pieces together 3
Figure No. 2.3.1 Byju 7
Figure No. 2.3.2 Toppr 8
Figure No. 2.3.3 Vedantu 9
Figure No. 2.3.4 Meritnation 10
Figure No. 2.3.5 Unacademy 11
Figure No. 2.3.6 UpGrad 12
Figure No. 3.1 Animated Image 13
Figure No. 3.1.1 Essential objective of EdTech 15
Figure No. 5.2.1 Research Methodology Phases 26
Figure No. 6.1 Overview of Education System in India 30
Figure No. 6.2 Online Education Ecosystem 31
Figure No. 6.6 M & As in EdTech 34
Figure No. 6.8 Online Test Preparation Market (India) 37
Figure No. 6.9 EdTech Market at a Glance 39
Figure No. 6.10 United Nation report Image of school
closures (as of 26.03.2020)
41
Figure No. 8.1.1 Social Distancing Animated Image 48

“A Study of Innovative EdTechStart-Ups & Businesses inthe Emerging
Markets and Economies”- With Special reference of Covid -19 Pandemic

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Introduction
“Engaging and Empowering Learning Through Technology”
To be successful in our daily lives and in a global workforce, Students need pathways to
acquire expertise and form meaningful connections to peers and mentors. This journey begins
with a base of knowledge and abilities that can be augmented and enhanced throughout our
lives. Fortunately, advances in learning sciences have provided new insights into how people
learn. Technology can be a powerful tool to reimagine learning experiences on the basis of
those insights. Historically, a learner’s educational opportunities have been limited by the
resources found within the walls of a school. Technology-enabled learning allows learners to
tap resources and expertise anywhere in the world, starting with their own communities. For
example:
 With high-speed internet access, a student interested in learning computer science can
take the course online in a school that lacks the budget or a faculty member with the
appropriate skills to teach the course.
 Learners struggling with planning for college and careers can access high-quality
online mentoring and advising programs where resources or geography present
challenges to obtaining sufficient face-to-face mentoring.
 With mobile data collection tools and online collaboration platforms, students in a
remote geographic area studying local phenomena can collaborate with peers doing
similar work anywhere in the world.
 A school with connectivity but without robust science facilities can offer its students
virtual chemistry, biology, anatomy, and physics labs—offering students learning
experiences that approach those of peers with better resources.
 Students engaged in creative writing, music, or media production can publish their
work to a broad global audience regardless of where they go to school.
 Technology-enabled learning environments allow less experienced learners to access
and participate in specialized communities of practice, graduating to more complex
activities and deeper participation as they gain the experience needed to become
expert members of the community.
These opportunities expand growth possibilities for all students while affording historically
disadvantaged students’ greater equity of access to high-quality learning materials, expertise,

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personalized learning, and tools for planning for future education. Such opportunities also can
support increased capacity for educators to create blended learning opportunities for their
students, rethinking when, where, and how students completely different components of a
learning experience. Innovation and educational technology are primarily concerned with
making use of modern and scientific teaching-learning methods and instructional strategies in
the system of education. In the present existence, the use of technologies has acquired
prominence. The instructors and students are making use of internet on a comprehensive
scale to generate information in terms of various aspects and augment their understanding. In
addition, they are making of computers to prepare their assignments and projects. The
individuals are able to become well-equipped with technologies with thorough practice. Apart
from technologies the other innovative methods used in the teaching-learning processes are,
charts, maps, models, textbooks, and other reading materials. Through making use of these
technologies and materials, instructors are putting into operation various kinds of
instructional strategies that are necessary to augment student learning. The different kinds of
instructional strategies include, giving Power Point presentations, reading and providing
explanations, providing explanations through making use of charts, models and maps and so
forth. Innovation and educational technology can help in bringing about transformations in
instructional strategies.

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Figure 1.1
The Industry

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2.1 The Industry Scenario
Increasing penetration of internet in many regions across the globe is a major factor driving
the market growth. Growing adoption of cloud-based solutions coupled with huge
investments by major market players towards enhancing the security and reliability of cloud-
based education platforms, is further increasing its adoption among the end-users. Presence of
a large number of service and content providers in the market is bringing huge volumes of
educational content online.
The global online education market is projected to witness a CAGRof 9.23% during the
forecast period to reach a total market size of US$319.167 billion in 2025, increasing from
US$187.877 billion in 2019. Increasing penetration of internet in many regions across the
globe is a major factor driving the market growth.
Declining hosting cost and growing need for accessing educational content is further fueling
the adoption of this technology, thus augmenting the market growth. Advancements in the
field of artificial intelligence and rapid growth of Internet of Things (IoT) will continue to
enhance the user experience on these online education platforms, which is anticipated to spur
the market growth throughout the forecast period. Increased effectiveness of animated
learning along with flexibility in learning are some other factors contributing to the growth of
online education by academic institutions. Lack of competent staff in various schools and
colleges across the developing nations is also resulting in the adoption of online education by
the students. Support and funds from the governments is another major driver for the growth
of the industry. By type, the global online education market is segmented as online education
by academic institutions and by corporate sector. With the increasing number of students in
academic institutions and regular need to up skill and provide industry relevant training to the
staff, the academic institutions as well as corporate need to come up with the options that
allow individuals to learn anytime from anywhere. With the increasing number of the
students and the cost effectiveness of online education many educational institutes are
integrating face-to-face learning with online learning at all levels of education. For instance,
Berkeley University of California recently partnered with edX to offer Data 8 course online
for no cost which was earlier limited to the few who got admissions in the institute.
Colleges and universities across the globe are frequently providing new MOOCs as well as
distance learning courses. An upsurge in tuition fees and high interest on education loans in

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both developed and developing countries has raised the cost of getting campus education
which is continuously shifting the trend towards online learning solutions, thus, positively
impacting the demand for LMS across this universities and colleges.
Online education industry will be a $1.96 billion industry by 2021 according to a research
conducted by KPMG, along with insights from Google search. The report finds that the paid
user base will grow 6X from 1.6 million users in 2016 to 9.6 million users in 2021.
There are five major categories of education with potential for significant online adoption.
Reskilling and online certification courses currently accounts for a significant part of the
online education market in India with a share of 38%. This is largely driven by a healthy
adoption rate amongst the significant population of IT professionals in India. However, with
an estimated ~280 million students expected to be enrolled in schools by 2021 and increasing
adoption amongst this target audience, online primary and secondary supplemental education
is expected to be the dominant category of courses with a 39% market share in 2021. At the
same time, online test preparation is expected to be the fastest growing category of online
education, estimated to grow at an impressive CAGR of 64% in the next five years.
2.2 Well Known Players in India
India suffers from skewed pupil-to-teacher ratio, which is rising and it compromises a
complete learning experience for students in schools. And hence, these technology-driven

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learning apps are using gaming elements, such as point-scoring and interaction with others,
personalization, and data-driven insights to help boost the learning process for students and
sharpen their basics in various subjects. They are revolutionizing the learning process and
helping students in many ways to perform better in classrooms. EdTech start-ups are
emerging as a major business industry in India. The education sector in India is estimated at
US$ 91.7 billion in FY18 and is expected to reach $101.1 Billion in FY19. Let’s see some of
the start-ups in Education sector in India which are gradually emerging and changing the
world regarding education scene in India. Below is the list of best EdTech start-ups in India.
List of Ed – Tech Companies of India
 Byju’s
 Toppr
 Vedantu
 Meritnation
 Unacademy
 UpGrad
and many more like these.
2.3 Brief Introduction about some Ed-Tech Companies in India
1. BYJU’S – Think & Learn Private Limited

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Figure 2.3.1
BYJU’S is a EdTech start-ups in Bangalore, which was founded by Byju Raveendran in
2011. Its current total equity is $5.4 billion. BYJU’S has also won many awards like CRISIL
Emerging India Award and Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Award, and is available on Android
and iOS platform.
BYJU’S Classes is a learning app that provides coaching for competitive entrance exams like
IIT-JEE, CAT, UPSC, GMAT, GRE, Engineering & Medical, and supplement courses of
grades 6th to 12th. BYJU’S offers online courses and tablet classes with multi-test and
assignment solutions, personal feedback and in-depth analysis. After the use of BYJU’S app,
93% of parents reported a marked improvement in their children’s performance in grades,
according to the company. BYJU'S has 15 million registered users with 9 lakh taking annual
paid subscriptions and an 85% renewal rate. The average app engagement rate, as reported by
the company, is 53 minutes per day.
2.Toppr – Haygot Education Private Limited

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Figure 2.3.2
Toppr is a Mumbai-based company founded by Zishaan Hayath in 2013. The Toppr app
includes goal-based learning, adaptive question practice, performance report, concept sheets
and previous year question papers. It also offers courses for medical and engineering
examinations, board examinations, and Olympiads.
Toppr is an online exam preparation platform for K-5 to K-12 students focused on school
curriculum syllabus and entrance examinations like JEE, UPSC, NEET, SAT, etc. It offers
structured courses that feature interactive video lectures, practice question sets, doubt
clearing by professionals and all India test series.
3.Vedantu – Vedantu Innovation Private Limited

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Figure 2.3.3
Vedantu is India’s leading Online tutoring company which enables students to learn LIVE
with some of India’s best-curated teachers. Vedantu’s USP is its quality of teachers. It has
some 500+ teachers who have taught more than 1 Million hours to 40,000+ students spread
across 1000+ cities from 30+ countries. Vedantu is founded by IITian friends who have been
teachers themselves with over 13 years of teaching experience and having taught over 10,000
students. Vedantu’s founders VMSI Krishna, Anand Prakash, and Pulkit Jian did their first
venture in education, Lakshya, in 2006 which later got acquired by a listed company called
MT Educare (Mahesh Tutorials) in 2012. As part of Lakshya, the founders taught and
mentored more than 10,000 students and trained more than 200 teachers between them.
4.Meritnation - Applect Learning Systems Private Limited

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Figure 2.3.4
Meritnation is an online education start-up based in Delhi which was founded by Pavan
Chauhan in 2008. It has grown to be one the most useful websites for online education. They
provide learning content for students for classes 1st to 12th – CBSE, ICSE and leading state
boards.
Meritnation provides its users with study material, tests, proficiency tests and Olympiad
packs. It has a complete social network experience for education and the app also tracks
every student’s progress and displays personalized recommendations along with analytical
data reports to point out strength and improvements areas.
Meritnation.Com was acquired by Aakash Educational Services for ₹500M on Jan 4, 2020.
5.Unacademy - Sorting Hat Technologies Private Limited

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Figure 2.3.5
Unacademy is an EdTech companies in Bangalore which has online learning marketplace for
courses which was founded by Heemash Singh, Sachin Gupta and Gaurav Munjal. The
YouTube channel was shifted to an online learning platform in 2015. Although you will still
find many learning videos on their YouTube Channel.
Started as a YouTube channel by Hemaash Singh in 2010, Unacademy is now a famous name
in the education technologies market of India. Unacademy is one of e learning start-ups in
India. Unacademy has provided lessons to more than 30,00,000 (3 million) students. They
have tied up with some of the most famous and experienced teachers to teach the students.
You will find over 2400 online courses. Most of the courses are free on this platform,
however, you might have to pay for certification.
Unacademy has a goal of providing all the education in the world for free and it has ventured
into numerous fields like Banking, CA, CAPF, UPSC, CLAT, CAT, JEE, Pre-Medical and
more. The video tutorials are available in various languages and the students can follow
tutors and get courses from them directly on their homepage. Their majority of the business
model runs on the Plus Subscription feature on their platform.

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6.UpGrad – UpGrad Education Private Limited
Figure 2.3.6
UpGrad is an online EdTech platform that provides higher education programs. They provide
an immersive learning experience with the latest technology and well-designed courses.
UpGrad was founded in 2015 by Ronnie Screwvala, Mayank Kumar, Phalgum Komapalli
and Ravijot Chugh.
UpGrad began in 2015 with the conviction that in an ever-changing industry, professionals
need to continuously upskill themselves in order to stay relevant. Since then we have always
focused on building a great online learning experience by collaborating with the right
universities and industry partners. We then steadily built a strong support system around our
learners. Starting with our first program in Entrepreneurship, UpGrad has created some of
India’s largest online programs to help thousands of professionals achieve their career goals
in the areas of data technology, and management.
Objective and Scope of the Study

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When we talk about technology in education, we recall the utility of technologies like audio-
visual aids, machines, and equipment such as TV, overhead projector, computers for
education, etc. Technology is that element of development which is almost found in every
part of our culture, affecting how we live, play, work and learn. With technological
advancement in the world through the invention of mobile and wireless devices, it has
become really important for the education sector to get a hold of this technology in the
teaching-learning process. This FRP report will help get familiar with the list of essential
objectives of educational technology.
Figure 3.1
3.1 Understanding the Concept of Educational Technology
Educational Technology, also known as EduTech or EdTech, is the concept of teaching and

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learning through the efficient medium of technology. It facilitates an in-depth understanding
of the fundamentals of technology and its operations. There is a range of objectives of
educational technology in order to help the teaching-learning process yield the best possible
results in an efficient and economical way.
Technology is an umbrella term for all the systematic applications of scientific knowledge
placed on a practical task. Similarly, educational technology is concerned with the following
two aspects:
 Theoretical Knowledge produced from various academic disciplines such as
Psychology, Education, Communication, Philosophy, Sociology, Computer Science,
Artificial Intelligence, etc.
 Experimental Knowledge elicited from educational practice and training.

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3.2 Responsibility of Educational Technology Facilitators
Facilitators of an educational technology plan, design and develop productive learning
atmosphere and range of experience by assisted technology. Their responsibilities include:
 Plan learning environments and experiences with the use of technology to build
efficient teaching and learning environments.
 Design and develop appropriate technology-driven learning opportunities to support
the diverse needs of different learners.
 Evaluate the accuracy and suitability of technological resources.
 Manage technology resources within the context of learning activities and pedagogy.
 Build management strategies for students learning in a technology-enhanced
environment.
 Identify instructional design principles to develop technological resources.
3.3 Objectives of Educational Technology
 Macro Level
 Micro Level
3.3.1 Objectives of Educational Technologyat the Macro Level
Owing to the increasing importance of technology in education, there are a multitude of
objectives that this phenomena fulfils at the macro level, some of which are:
 To identify the educational requirements and desires of the community.
 To understand the structure of education, board strategies, and its goals.
 To design and develop curriculums involving art, science and human values.
 To support strategies and human resources and material assets with the mission to
achieve determined goals.
 To create appropriate aids and instruments supporting educational purposes.
 To design educational technology models catering to improve the existing process of
teaching and learning.
 To identify and find remedies to tackle major environmental constraints.

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 To expand and support educational opportunities for people around the world,
especially the neglected sections of the community.
 To manage the entire educational system starting from planning to execution,
implementation, and evaluation.
3.3.2 Objectives of Educational Technologyat the Micro Level
 To discover and analyse the characteristics and educational requirements of every
student.
 To determine and state the specific behavioural classroom objectives.
 To understand and organise the contents of instruction in a proper sequence.
 To recognize the existing teaching-learning resources and materials.
 To identify the nature of the interaction of sub-systems like teachers, students, the
content of instruction, teaching-learning material, and different methodologies.
 To plan teaching strategies and utilize human resources and material assets for
accomplishing specific classroom objectives.
 To evaluate every student’s behavioural change and performance to determine the
effectiveness of classroom teaching.
 To provide essential feedback to teachers and students for any modification in the
teaching-learning operation.
Scope
The objectives of educational technology are process-oriented. The use of educational
technology is not restricted to teaching and learning methodologies and theories, but to
provide in-depth assistance in the development of an individual’s personality. Below is a list
on the wide scope of education technology:
 Educational technology makes the teaching-learning process more efficient and
process-oriented.
 Mechanical and electronic gadgets can be readily utilized for educational
requirements.

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 Educational technology has improved the learning process for students with the help
of teaching aids and programmed instructional material, etc.
 Traditional mediums like television, radio, tape-recorder, V.C.R, and computers can
be used to impart distance and correspondence education.
 The advancement of the internet has increased education dissemination all over the
world with much ease.
 Mechanism of feedback through the use of technology improves the quality of
teachers training in academic institutions.
 Technology-driven innovative analytical tools and instruments can help in solving
educational administrative problems.
 Educational technology serves to develop and understand the structure and nature of
teaching.
 Best utilization of education technology supports the scientific foundation and new
discoveries.
Literature Review
The purpose of the following literature review will be to provide information that can be
collected and used for the discussion on how technology is making a change in education and
what types of technology school's and students of today are using.
Technology has changed the way students learn and how they interact with their professors
for help and questions. Making not only students change their method to learn but changing
teacher’s method to teach. This literature review provides information about the changes on
educational technology with their main events on how has change student’s way of leaning. It
provides statistics on how much time students spend on technology and their improvements.

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It recognizes positive and negative points of view about the topic and how teachers are
getting assistance for this technology.
4.1 The Benefits of Technology on Education: A review of the Literature
Technology has become part of our lives with the pass of the years, to the point most people
will start depending on this technology. One of the changes most people have notice is inside
the classroom. Students observe a variety of common tools to identify the major types of
technology according to the human desires most of them meet, and then fake initial
definitions of technology. Students and teachers have seen the advances, noticing how
technology has expanded the opportunity to study. Starting, from the invention of paper and
pencil, to overhead projectors, all the way to having the opportunity of experiencing the new
touch technology era.
 What kinds of technology are used in the education field?
 How often students use technology on school and at home?
 What are the positive/negative effects on the Academic Performance and experience
of the students?
 Are teachers receiving the adequate technology to prepare students for their future?
The following review on literature will focus on these questions and will include information
about positive/negative effects, the use of this technology and the types of technology.
4.1.1 What kinds of technology are used in the education field?
Adapting to technology is not an option, technology is changing constantly and people will
learn every day something new. Technology at schools has progressed on several ways
starting with the invention of writing on upon-stone, to metal sheet to what people know now
paper and the use of pen or pencil. This happened 30,000 years ago and people are still and
will keep using the invention of paper and pen for quite some more years. Technology has
made a huge impact on all schools, jobs, hospitals etc. giving the opportunity of having a
higher education and accurate results. The role schools being were the skills and abilities of
young people are developing, school should be the place were technology can be introducing
to the young generation this way they will learn and control their advantage to this.
Educational technology as on the book The Educational Technology Handbook by Steven

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Hack Barth explains is a systematic process of developing solutions to problems of teaching
and learning. (Hack Barth, 1996) How technology has transformed education by providing
sophisticated tools were the whole educational system has changed. The public were the only
way of teaching was the professor talking with no way of having a visual example from the
teacher were students used paper and ink. One of the biggest inventions of all were the source
of research getting the first modern library by John Dury on 1651, having the advantage of
books believed to be invented by the Sumerians around 1300BC. Having chalkboards for
teachers and chalkboards slates for students till the 1700 and introducing the modern pencil
Nicolas-Jacques Conte until 1795. Audio-visuals Age 1930, where film strip projector was
introduced on schools having the opportunity to what educational videos and a year after
1940 the overhead projector was invented changing the way of teaching and students
learning. Technology was not constantly there for the use of the students, they started form
the bottom to where we are now. Having on mind the immense changes of technology and all
these changes had been done because of the necessities of the people and their education.
Having greater education on technology will show people what else can be invented to
require a better knowledge.
Interactive whiteboards mostly know as smart boards introduced on 1991 have replaced the
traditional chalkboards, Smart-boards are the new way students and professors are
interacting. This new technology gives the advantage to keep their normal whiteboard and
add a device which will make their normal whiteboard to smart boards, where students can go
to front and touch or write with their finger the answer on the board taking physical ink from
the whiteboard without the use of the projector making the environment of the classroom
friendlier to students. According to Chris Dede (2009) the number of computers inside the
classroom continues to increase making the computer the most important tool in school,
making the internet having big part of student’s life. Programs have been invented through
the internet making turning in work easier and fast, Blackboard could be one of the numerous
program’s internet can provide to schools. For some people using this technology can be easy
but for others it will take longer on understanding how a program works. Having the
opportunity of finishing your work on a computer and turning it in right away in the same
device can come handy. Teachers post their lessons and future assignments under these
programs or send them to the student’s email, but sometimes people need to understand
students have a tide budget and they cannot afford a computer. They need to make a trip to
their local library and borrow a computer. Before students had the advantage of all this
technology, they would have to write down their notes, use pen or pencil to do their

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homework, go to teacher’s office hours to get tutoring etc. students did not have all their
assignments in a computer or USB. They would do double the work students do now, but
considering the work students do in this century is double on what other centuries used to
give their students. Some high schools have programs about how students can borrow
computers, laptops and the newest technology the school can afford they provide. On 1868
Christopher Sholes invents the first typewriter with a QWERTY keyboard, due to this
shorthand classes were introduced in schools giving the students the privilege to learn how to
write the double number of words in half of the time. 1977 first personal computers were
introduced to schools, were 18% of United States public school had one computer for
instruction only, 1991 computers were in all school and were 1 computer for every 18
students and it kept going to increase the number of computers to the year of 2000 were 1
computer for every 5 students in school were available. Adding to the evolution of computers
the first handheld calculator was invented by Texas Instruments in 1967, since that year
besides making the long process of getting an answer a machine would do it. Technology
needs education to work, this way by the education people have they will invent the new
tools most people have in their hands now a day. “Educational technology is not, and never
will be, transformative on its own, however. It requires the assistance of educators who
integrate technology into the curriculum, align it with student learning goals, and use it for
engaged learning projects.” Technology would be taking most of our knowledge today, but
that doesn’t mean we need to rely on it most of the time. By people understanding how
technology would one day vanish the same way one day appeared, will make people be
prepare by not living traditional lessons aside.
4.1.2 How often students use technology on school and at home?
In the 21 century, teachers who use technology frequently in their classrooms remark greater
benefits to students learning, from teachers who are fewer regular users. That's one of the
major findings from a K-12 technology study released by researchers. According Nagel
(2010) explains the increase of the use of technology:
 22 percent of those surveyed were considered frequent users of technology, spending
31 percent or more of class time using technology to support learning.
 17 percent were defined as moderate users, those who spend, 21 percent to 30 percent
of class time using technology.
 26 percent sporadic users, spending 11 percent to 20 percent of class time using
technology.

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 34 percent infrequent users, who reported spending 10 percent or less of class time
supporting learning with technology.
The outcomes from K-12 study explain how most students use technology at school than at
home having more access to technology at school because of the computers, clickers, tablets,
cell phones etc. most of their material at school now a days involve more use of technology
that just reading a book. For frequent, moderate and infrequent users most of their times at
school are using some kind of technology, while at home parents can limit the access to their
children and have a moderate use of technology.
The Use of Technology
According to various survey approximately 77 % of preteens (ages 10-13) and 86% of teens
(ages 14-17) use the Internet when doing their school-work, how children don’t used the
same amount as adult teen uses technology, but children still have a huge percent of
technology use and their time is more use on playing games online, while the teens and adult
teen use their time on e-mail provably talking to professor, getting grades etc. and school
work.
Some schools can provide the latest technology to their students, having this technology
students and teachers can understand why the increase on the use of technology inside the
classroom. By spending time on their laptops, others on their newest tablets can get great
sources for their research on their projects. Calculators and smart-boards can be led to these
percentages on their use on technology. “Often students are looking for a site where they can
go to the quickest and the most information with minimal effort”.
What some teachers do when the time of researching on their given topics is that they will
provide a list of reliable web side were students could make their research and found great
results besides relying on Google, Wikipedia etc.
On the other side some students cannot afford these luxuries and stick with what their schools
can provide, some schools have programs where they provide some types of technology to
students because of economic need. These way students can have the opportunity to have a
laptop and do their homework at home.
4.1.3 What are the positive/negative effects on the Academic Performance and
experience of the students?
On every change there has to be positive and negative results, sometimes students need to be

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aware of this result because they will know if the changes are working or they are not
improving in their learning. To let directors and teachers know if it is worth it to give the
advantage of computers and other technology to students. By paying attention to the
improvement of the students and how they are using this technology, giving a sense of being
worth spending thousands of dollars to the increase of computers to colleges and local
schools. According to Don Knesek explains the results of the addition of technology to
education:
 The research findings presented in this brief demonstrate that technology is being
effectively integrated into teaching and learning and is having a positive impact on
increasing student achievement through test scores and the acquisition of 21st century
skills. Fortifying today’s generation with a foundation of technology-based skills that
fit within the larger picture of global competitiveness.
 By measuring their knowledge teacher will understand how their students are using
technology. Sometimes technology doesn’t help the students improve; maybe can do
the opposite it can be just a tool that distract students form their main focus on
homework and other things. In cases where students won’t show any improve, they
will take these advantages and let students work by traditional style, were they will
need to go to the library and read a book.
 By the advantage of technology teachers need to learn how this technology works and
how they can teach their students the importance of this advantage. If teachers are not
familiar with the content students are exposed to, teachers will not know to how much
information’s students are getting the access off.
Bill Powers “Why ‘I don’t have time for Technology’ is no longer Excusable” explain
by its title how people cannot give more excuses about not using technology, now a
days Facebook and Twitter between others has given the most opportunities and
connections students , teachers and other people outside the education field. “I have
connected with educator’s right here in Springfield I had never and may not have ever
met others across the state of Missouri at Edcamp and on Twitter, and even more
from coast-to-coast and outside the borders of the United States. I couldn’t make
those connections without social media. I’ve learned with and connected with more
educators in the last two years than most educators have in a lifetime”.
 Teachers now can communicate with their students outside the classroom, whenever
students have questions or thoughts, they can easily send an email and most likely

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their professors will answer. Students and teachers have to show improvements and
withdraw on this subject. Some students will feel better with this technology but other
students can get the advantage of this and used for their own on school and not
achieving the progress other students are showing.
4.1.4 Are teachers receiving the adequate technology to prepare students for their
future?
Teacher’s education system is to prepare their students to meet the demands their classes in
the future will ask. By teachers having the access to technology can make a huge change on
their way of teaching making students have a better learning experience. The personal
technology in class can make teachers feel unclear because they will not know if students will
use this as a way of cheating or against the same teachers who are allowing this.
Advances in technology have always changed the way people are educated and how
education is changing technology and students are in charge of how their improvements will
be. Technology has transformed everyone teachers, students etc. but problems some teachers
will have are how to use this technology, programs can give all the technology teachers are
looking for but for some this technology can be a bad dream. Some teachers are not used to

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all this technology, but as many people mentions “you can never get used to technology”
maybe some may just loose the interest to have all this advantages to learn this technology
skills. Some technology is necessary some other is not. Having the appropriate tools in class
to make the lecture more entertaining and getting students attention are essential, this way
students will be encourage to keep the hard work up and keeping their grades on level
“The reality is that students of the 21st century need a technology-based education to survive
in a technological world.” Not having the correct technology to have a correct education can
affect a student’s future. Most have made will this technology a better environment inside the
classroom were students will like to interact in class and other will have the opportunity to
still interact but from a remote because some students are not as social as others and preferred
to stay that way.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
5.1 Objective of the research:
To understand the perception and awareness of the masses towards online education.
Understand preference towards online or offline education on the basis of
drivers, barriers, preference to teaching methodology, payment options, etc.
5.2 Researchmethodology: This study, was performed in multiple stages:
Phase 1:
Qualitative
focus
GD/Interviews
& so on
searches

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Figure 5.2.1
PHASE 1: QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
Qualitative research was undertaken to analyses key triggers, barriers and perception
among online and offline users.
• Methodology: Focused group discussions and interviews collection from
web search.
• User segments covered: Users opting for higher education
(online)- females, Users opting for higher education (online)-
females, users for online certification courses- males, group of
offline users- males, primary and secondary education users
Exploratory
insights
(Qualitative
analysis)
Quantified
insights
(Quantitative
analysis)
Thorough
understanding of
online education
users and non
users

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(offline)- females, vocational training users (offline)- females
PHASE 2: QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS VIA ONLINE SURVEYS SEARCHES
Based on inputs from Phase 1, a quantitative survey searches were conducted to
gauge different aspects of consumer behavior across online users, offline
users and intenders of online education.
• Methodology : Around 3600 participated in online surveys
conducted across four regions- North (Agra, Chandigarh,
Delhi, Jaipur, Kanpur and Lucknow), East (Guwahati, Kolkata,
Patna, Ranchi), West (Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Mumbai, Nagpur,
Pune, Surat, Vadodara) and South (Bangalore, Chennai,
Coimbatore, Kochi, Hyderabad, Madurai,
Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada, Vishakhapatnam).
Interviews were limited to a time duration of 15 to 20 mins,
with a maximum of 25 questions per interview, including
screening questions.
Online Surveys was conduct by Google – KPMG Researches for
Online Education.
Methodology
 Market revenue estimation: The volume estimate is based
on the number of internet users in India, unfulfilled need for
education across categories, number of offline users of a
category and adoption of online learning in major categories.
The volume estimates for 2021 are based on standards of
potential changes in the regulatory scenario and the projected
rise in internet penetration in India. Revenue in Indian market
is based on per cent of paying customers and the average
transaction value for the paying base across key categories.
The estimates were further triangulated through reported

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financials of key players across major sub- segments of the
Indian online education market. The 2021 market revenues have
been projected based on the expected rise in average
transaction value, enabled by projected rise in disposable
income, inflation and consumer spending along with change
in per cent of paying customers based on potential rise in
acceptability of the online channel.
5.3 Sources
1. Primary research
 Discussion with industry experts and key players conducted by
KPMG in India – Opted from Web Search
2. Secondary research
 Annual reports of leading players in the industry
 Reports published on the Indian education system,
published by the MHRD and third-party sources
 Industry journals and magazines
 Company press releases
DATA ANALYSIS & INTERPRETATION
6.1 Education Landscape in India
India has a multi-layered formal education system with ~ 260 million students enrolled in
more than 1.5 million schools and ~ 39,000 colleges catering to 27.5 million under graduate
and four million post graduate students. Formal education includes primary and secondary
schools, graduation, post- graduation and diploma courses. Schools are governed by state and
central bodies, viz. CBSE, ICSE, state and international boards. India has one of the largest
higher education systems in the world, primarily dominated by private sectors. Higher
education in India though governed by UGC has a 3- tier structure comprising the university,
college and course. Different regulatory bodies such as Medical Council of India (MCI), All

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India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the Bar Council India (BCI), among
others, manage different professional courses.
Informal education includes pre-primary, coaching classes, vocational education and multi-
media/technology based educational courses aiding as a supplement or substitute to formal
education. India’s informal education market is one of the largest in the world. Pre-primary
market has low entry barriers and has witnessed large number of players in the last few years.
Presence of a large working population and increasing requirement of skilled workers, is
instrumental in the prominent growth of vocational education in India. Test preparation
contributes to a significant share of informal education in India. The online channel for
education in India includes primary and secondary education to hobbies and language learning
across formal and informal forms. Online players have developed B2C, B2B and C2C
solutions in line with the customer’s requirements.
For the purpose of this report, online education is defined as: 'Learning modules which can be
accessed by individuals through internet enabled devices' and is restricted to consumer paid
services by users in India.

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6.2 Overview of The Online Education Ecosystem in India
The online platform providers play a pivotal role in the online education ecosystem. Initially,
the platform served as enablers by connecting prospective students and content providers. In
recent times, the platform providers have increasingly played the role of content providers
and curators. Online education in India has a mix of dedicated online only and offline players
with an online presence. C2C business models have also emerged where the platform
connects prospective teachers and students. B2B offerings are prevalent in higher education,
where institutions offer degree/diploma courses to students through their own platforms or
third-party aggregators. Corporate tie-ups assist in co-creation of industry certified content,
which enhances overall acceptance of online education amongst the target user base.
Improved internet connectivity and adoption of digital payment options have significantly
aided in the growth of online education in India.
Figure 6.2

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6.3 The Past, Present and Future of EdTech Start-ups
Between January 2014 and September 2019, more than 4,450 EdTech start-ups have been
launched in India.
However, 25% of start-ups have shut shop while only 4.17% of start-ups have raised funds.
Will EdTech’s overdependence on online test prep and K-12 learning change soon?
An analysis of China’s current state of start-up ecosystem will have very few but clear
winners, one of which is the EdTech sector. In India too, with the nationwide lockdown, there
is a sudden surge in demand for EdTech start-ups even as others are struggling to find a way
out. Ecommerce and EdTech are two sectors that may survive this rock phase, say experts.
However, as of now, it will not be wrong to say that EdTech is yet to gain mass traction.
Despite the launch of 4,450 EdTech start-ups in the country, India has only one unicorn in the
sector, BYJU’s, with a $5.7 Bn valuation. In fact, as we have mentioned in our earlier
reports, BYJU’s also had to spend a good ten years to reach the valuation. The start-up
worked in stealth mode from 2011 to 2015 and the app was launched only in 2015.
For new entrepreneurs in the space, staying afloat has been all the more difficult. There is
still a lack of warm reception for tech in India and many other countries. What a classroom
can offer in terms of interpersonal skills, is something tech may not be able to replace, say
educational experts.
“The failure rate for EdTech start-ups is comparable with any other sector. Given that
education is a high-involvement category and a career-affecting service, tech adoption is
usually lower compared to other services and products. Hence, EdTech start-ups can take
more time to scale up than in some of the other categories,” Pranjal Kumar, CFO and head
of education fund at Bertelsmann.

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6.4 Funding and Mergers & Acquisitions in EdTech
According to Data Labs by Inc42, between January 2014 and September 2019, more than
4,450 EdTech start-ups have been launched in India. However, 25% of start-ups have shut
shop while only 4.17% of start-ups have raised funds. BYJU’s grabbed 65% of the total
funding in EdTech start-ups. The start-ups are, till date, finding it difficult to create
a steady revenue stream.
6.5 Role of VCs
To a great extent venture capitalists (VC) are playing an important role in helping the start-up
ecosystem, including EdTech, largely considered futuristic. “VC investments have often been
likened to rocket fuel or running on a treadmill. When we come in and invest we want to see
you grow 5x over the next 15-18 months and keep that momentum going after each round of
financing,” said Sajith Pai, Director, Blume Ventures.
The VCs who have been supporting BYJU’S, Vedantu, Toppr and others in the Indian
EdTech industry to scale-up businesses would be as below:
 Blume Ventures: Blume has made six investments in EdTech at pre-series A and seed
stage. The investments have been in an array of segments within EdTech including
online test-prep, gamified learning, B2B white label apps for coaching classes and
others.
 Sequoia Capital: Known to be very active in the fintech segment, with 13 deals in
2019, Sequoia grabbed 10 deals in the EdTech sector in 2019.
 Omidyar Network: The VC firm makes equity investments in early-stage enterprises
and provides grants to non-profits in education and others.
 Nexus Venture Partners: The venture fund has backed start-ups such as Unacademy,
Quizizz, White Hat Jr among others
 SAIF Partners: Toppr and Unacademy are some of the key investments by the VC in
the Indian EdTech market so far
 Accel Partners: They have invested in start-ups including Edu pristine and Vedantu
 InnoVen Capital: The two prominent companies funded by InnoVen India include
BYJU’S and Eruditus

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Other than the above, Helion Venture Partners, Indian Angel Network (IAN) and India
Educational Investment Fund are some of the prominent funds in the sector.
6.6 Mergers & Acquisitions
The EdTech ecosystem also saw Initial Public Offering (IPO), and mergers and acquisitions,
the two of the most common exit strategies in any start-up ecosystem. As per Data Labs’ the
Future of India’s $2 Bn EdTech Opportunity Report 2020 between 2014 and 2019, a total of
35 EdTech start-ups underwent merger or acquisition. The report also states that the Indian
EdTech start-up ecosystem has seen the participation of 28 active acquirers, 54% of which
hail from the education technology sector itself.
“M&As in the EdTech space is generally focussed on either acquiring start-ups with good
intellectual property in the form of content, pedagogy, integrated hardware, and software or
by acquiring start-ups having a proven business model, market penetration and good reach,”
Rajeev Tiwari, founder and director of STEMROBO Technologies that offers STEAM
learning programme for K-12 segment told Inc42 in an earlier interview.
Figure 6.6

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6.7 From Smartboards to Augmented Reality
The right to free education up to the age of 14 is enshrined as a fundamental right in Article
21A of the Indian constitution. However, what changed the game was the introduction of
Right To Education (RTE) through the 86th constitutional amendment in 2002. Since then,
the adult literacy rate in the country has jumped up by 13% from 61% in 2001 to 74% in
2018.
The gap in quality of education delivered in private school and the public institutions is
increasing every year, as per the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER). According to
the report, among fifth-grade students only 23% could solve a simple division problem in
government schools, while this number was 40% in more expensive private schools. The
introduction of RTE has helped at least a small segment of the population seek private
education.
Even within private schools, till a decade ago digital education was restricted to smartboards
in classrooms till the SaaS or B2B segment came up. After 2010-11, start-ups such as
BYJU’S, Toppr, Meritnation, Simplilearn among others in India have changed the way
education was perceived in the country. Education is no longer just limited to
classrooms. EdTech start-ups offer free and open access to knowledge and the transparency is
also higher.
The adoption of vernacular languages by EdTech start-ups is another reason for the rising
popularity of EdTech start-ups. “Only 10% of India’s population can speak English. To build
large businesses that can capture greater value, incorporating vernacular learning is key,” said
Sajith Pai, Director Blume Ventures.
6.8 Popular Segments
With Indian education being primarily a marks-based system even today, test preparation
(from K-12 to entrance exams) and online certification are the two segments that are seeing
more takers than others. Between 2014 to 2019, start-ups in test prep and online certification
start-ups earned a whopping 88% ($1.6 Bn) of the total capital inflow in EdTech.
With marks and certification still being the primary focus in educational institutions and
chasing the great American dream mindset in the market, the investor interest for test prep
and online certification start-ups is also expected to increase. The EdTech industry today

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caters to five core sub-sectors including test preparation, online certification, skill
development, online discovery, and STEAM kit and enterprise solutions.
Lido Learning, for instance, enables students from class 5 to class 9 to connect online with
live teachers who offer math and science tutorials. Parents pay a subscription fee for their
kids to attend small group classes through real-time interactions with teachers. The platform
also provides students access to offline content to practice classroom lessons. Besides math
and science, Lido is looking to launch English tutorials in the first quarter of 2020.
“Students in smaller towns were thrilled to be getting the same product and the same
quality of teachers that students in the bigger cities were getting. That is when Lido’s
vision changed — it was not just about making tuition classes convenient anymore, it was
about democratizing education for all,” Sahil Sheth, founder, Lido Learning told Inc42.
The Indian education system is focused on marks and teaching for test grades. However,
unlike education systems in other countries, this style of education does not prepare students
for real life. This is the pain point most EdTech start-ups are trying to solve.
Zishaan Hayath, CEO and cofounder of Toppr, a popular online learning app,
told Inc42 in an earlier interview, “The problem with the traditional Indian education
system is its ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach that fails to take into account the varied abilities of
the students they’re trying to educate. This, combined with the questionable quality of
education in schools, leaves students in the lurch after they graduate, as they simply don’t
have the skills to get good jobs.”
More than 15 Mn students in India prepare for competitive exams and thus there is a huge
market for online test preparation start-ups backed by the reach of the internet in Tier 2 and
Tier 3 towns.
This gives start-ups like institution management platforms such as Class Plus a big market. A
majority of the coaching classes have an offline infrastructure, highlighting scale-up
challenges as well as an inability to ensure a seamless post-classroom engagement with their
students and parents. This is making them look forward to technology in assisting them to run
their daily tasks and administration.

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Start-ups such as Gurugram-based EdTech company Pesto is also trying to bridge the skill
gap between engineers and multinational companies. The start-up offers two different
programs – Pesto PRO and Pesto Remote – designed for experienced engineers who want to
“superskill” themselves to go from good to great and become proficient to break into
international high-tech careers.
Educators are also betting high on AR/VR as the next big success in the space. As Ankur
Aggarwal, founder of VR-based EdTech start-up Veative told us the enduring objective of
EdTech is to improve the yearning to learn and AR/VR helps implement it in a spectacular
manner.
Figure 6.8

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6.9 Beginning of A New Era of Learning?
As per Data Labs analysis, test prep and K-12 EdTech start-ups combined are estimated to be
worth $1.3 Bn by 2021, which means that the Indian EdTech market will not be seeing any
major changes in terms of the hottest sectors. More such predictions can be found in the latest
report released by Data Labs — The Future of India’s $2 Bn EdTech Opportunity Report
2020.
“It would be safe to say that the traits of the Chinese economy which helped its EdTech
industry boom find their parallels in India which indicates a very bright future for Indian
EdTech and may justify the high valuations that companies in this sector command,” said
Akhil Shahani, Managing Director of The Shahani Group.
Moreover, the policies also seem to be in place for better adoption of technology in education
like online learning platforms, AI-driven customized learning solutions, video-based learning,
peer-to-peer learning, etc. in government & private institutions.
The education sector is also forecast to spend more than $6 Bn annually on augmented
and virtual reality technologies by 2023. “Funding for the technologies remains a major
hurdle to adoption, but price points for equipment are dropping rapidly, according to a new
market forecast from ABI Research,” said Simulanis founder Raman Talwar earlier.
According to another report, “Augmented and Virtual Reality in Education,” the market for
augmented reality in education will hit $5.3 Bn in 2023, with the market for virtual reality
head-mounted displays trailing at $640 Mn.
Additionally, among the other EdTech subsectors, favorable market conditions combined
with the growing demand makes the skill development sub-sector a lucrative opportunity for
high-value returns for Indian start-up investors
For 2020, Inc42 had also curated a list of some EdTech start-ups that are expected to make
the biggest impact on the market. The list includes White Hat Jr, Playshifu, Lido Learning,
Pesto, Kings Learning, Cuemath, Classplus. Well, with schools and other educational
institutions shut due to coronavirus, more EdTech start-ups are expected to find takers, as is
seen in China.

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6.10 Impact of the Covid -19 Pandemic
In the education sector, 166 countries have implemented country-wide school and
university closures. More than 1.52 billion children and youth are currently out of school
or university, representing 87 per cent of the world enrolled school and university student
population. In addition, nearly 60.2 million teachers are no longer in the classroom.
School closures have a wide range of adverse impacts on children and young people,
including interrupted learning and forgone human interaction, which is essential to social and
behavioural development. When schools close, many children lose the meals provided at
school and a zone of safety. This impact on their nutrition has knock on effects on family
income, which in turn adds to the demand for women and girls’ unpaid work. The World
Food Program (WFP) estimates that more than 320 million primary schoolchildren in 120
countries are now missing out on school meals. School interruption also causes gaps in
childcare, which puts pressures on work and life balance, especially for women, and parents
when asked to facilitate the children’s learning at home.
Sustained disruption of education could lead to a rise in child labor and child marriage,
placing a further brake on developing countries growth. A recent IMF paper showed that
child marriages reduces low-income country GDP by 1 per cent.
Digital technologies have become a positive enabler in this crisis, facilitating business
continuity and connecting people more than ever and helping them maintain good mental
health. However, inequality of access to broadband connectivity and inaccessibility of ICTs
hinders effective remote participation and access to remote schooling arrangements, health
information and telemedicine by all. According to ITU, an estimated 3.6 billion people
remain offline, with the majority of the unconnected living in the least developed countries.
The response to the virus is also having a differentiated impact on segments of the
population. The fact that women make up 70 per cent of the global health workforce puts
them at greater risk of infection. Additionally, accompanying the crisis has been a spike in
domestic violence reporting, at exactly the time that services, including rule of law, health
and shelters, are being diverted to address the pandemic. With families isolated in their
homes, children are also facing the rapid increase of online child abuse.

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Figure 6.10
6.11 Indian Govt Seeks to Monetize Its EdTech Platform SWAYAM
 The proposal is to pay government 15% of fee collected from students
 University Grants Commission (UGC) has approved an internal proposal
 The government plans for education to be a mix of online and offline mode
As EdTech gains prominence in the Covid-19 world, the government now wants to monetise
its online education courses under SWAYAM (Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young
Aspiring Minds). A Livemint report said that education regulators University Grants
Commission (UGC) has approved an internal proposal asking higher education institutions to
pay for the scheme, which promotes online courses and hosts them on a dedicated platform.

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Findings / Conclusion
7.1 Findings
The implementation of innovations and educational technologies have proved to be beneficial
to the individuals in carry out functioning of the educational institutions in an appropriate
manner. The major benefits of innovation and educational technologies have been stated as
follows:
Tasks become Less Time Consuming – Through making use of technologies, individuals
are able to carry out their tasks and functions in less time-consuming manner. When they are
well-quipped with making use of computers, they are able to complete their assignments,
reports and projects in less time-consuming manner. Research has indicated that when
individuals made use of pens and paper, it was tedious and they experienced difficulties and
problems in completing their tasks on time. Hence, the use of technology has enabled them to
render an effective contribution in completing their assignments on time. In higher
educational institutions, when students are taking exams, they make use of lap-tops. As they
possess this viewpoint that they will be able to complete their work on time.
Facilitate Editing and Changes – When the individuals are preparing reports or projects
making use of computers, they are able to make changes. There is a saying, write in haste and
polish at leisure. Therefore, individuals normally write in haste, but take time in identifying
the errors and making corrections. When they read their assignments and are to make
changes, they can easily make changes on technologies, before final submission. Making
presentations is one of the indispensable teaching-learning methods. The instructors too make
presentations in terms of lesson plans. On the other hand, students too are required to make
presentations as part of their assessment strategies. Hence, changes can easily be made in
presentations as well and this is regarded as one of the most important benefits of
technologies.
Communication – Research has indicated that within the course of pursuance of doctoral
programs or in distance learning, the students in some cases do not meet with their
supervisors frequently. Therefore, they make use of technologies to communicate with them.
Technologies are made use of in emailing and messaging information as well as in the
preparation of assignments and projects. In order to carry out their assignments in an
appropriate manner, the fellow students also need to interact with each other and exchange
ideas. Hence, the use of technologies has rendered a significant contribution in facilitating
communication between individuals. Technologies have facilitated the communication of

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short messages, ideas and perspectives as well as lengthy assignments, reports and projects.
Leading to Fundamental Transformations in the System of Education – It is necessary to
bring about transformations in the existing system of education. When transformations are
brought about, it is necessary to ensure that they prove to be worthwhile and beneficial
towards promoting well-being of the members and the overall system of education. As the
individuals leverage 2.0 technologies, one learns from the advances in cognitive sciences and
pay attention to the effective models of learning. The effective models of learning render a
significant contribution in the reinforcement of relationships between instructors and
students. The instructors find implementation of job duties manageable and the students too
are able to acquire an efficient understanding of academic concepts.
Generation of Ideas to Provide Solutions to Problems – The generation of ideas is
necessary to provide solutions to problems and difficulties that may arise within the course of
implementation of job duties. Through the use of technology and modern and innovative
methods, individuals can provide solutions to problems. Often, most innovative solutions
come from those, who are viewing the facts from the new angle or with the new insights. In
the case of occurrence of problems or difficulties, individuals are required to put into practice
innovative problem-solving methods. Combining ideas from across silos and sectors are
important new and innovative methods in providing solutions to problems.
Supporting the Learning Cycle – Learning is a lifelong process. The individuals are not
only engaged in learning academic knowledge, but they are also engaged in supporting
learning cycle. Providing support to learning cycle means implementing tasks and activities
that would facilitate the acquisition of learning. As individuals make use of internet, when
they are to acquire knowledge in terms of academic concepts or view images and pictures, it
is supportive to them to a large extent. But when the individuals need to make use of
technology for leisure and recreational purposes or make sales and purchase of items or carry
out other activities, such as ordering a cab, then too they need to learn various aspects. Hence,
it can be stated that use of technology renders a significant contribution in supporting
learning cycle. Apart from academic learning, individuals get engaged in comprehensive
learning through technology.
Promotion of Aligned and Effective Assessments – Assessments are an integral part of
teaching and learning processes. After the completion of a lesson plan, the educators need to
put into operation the appropriate assessment methods that would enable them to understand
how much the students have improved and whether their teaching-learning methods and
instructional strategies have proved to be beneficial. Aligned and effective assessments

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enable common standards and a strong content. Significant work must be done to develop
and use better timelier and more useful measurements of growth in student performance on
both content and skills. The platforms that enable the system of aligned and effective
assessments, including open-ended questions in tests, class assignments, home-work
assignments and competitions. The practitioners should be provided with the opportunity to
measure progress, maintain records of effectual instructional practice and prescribe
instructional solutions.
Creating Data Standards and Strong Information Platforms – The creation of data
standards and strong information platforms is regarded as an essential, particularly when
making use of technologies and innovative methods. This point can be explained better with
the help of an example. In doctoral programs, when research scholars are working on their
research thesis, they are required to conduct an analysis of the data collected, using the
statistical software called, Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS). In order to make use
of SPSS, they are required to generate information and augment their computer skills. For
this purpose, they even get enrolled in short-term training programs. Hence, it can be stated
that individuals make use of technology and innovative methods in creating data standards
and strong information platforms.
Improving Productivity and Effectiveness – New approaches and new technologies need to
be made use of in bringing about improvements in productivity and effectiveness. There is a
need to bring about improvements in the technology tools to improve productivity and
effectiveness. The technologies need to make provision of real-time resources for data-based
instructional decision making, student diagnostics and proscription, professional development
and performance management. Developments should take place in technologies in such a
manner that they can adapt to new needs and users can take advantage of modern and
innovative methods. Improvements can be brought about in productivity and effectiveness,
when the individuals are well-equipped in terms of usage of technologies. They need to
continuously work towards up-gradation of competencies and knowledge in terms of various
kinds of technologies.
Development of Technologies for Implementation of Managerial Functions – In
educational institutions as well as within the classrooms, it is vital for the individuals to carry
out the managerial functions. In order to carry out the managerial functions in an appropriate
manner, it is essential to augment managerial competencies. The development of
technologies is regarded as indispensable for the implementation of managerial functions.
The various managerial functions are planning, organizing, leading, coordinating and

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controlling. The technologies are being used to a major extent in the implementation of these
managerial functions. Through the use of technologies, the members of the educational
institutions can carry out these functions in a manageable manner. Improvements need to be
brought about in technologies to meet the needs of the members of the educational
institutions. Apart from computers, the other technologies that are made use of are, scanners,
printers, photo-copiers, projectors, I pad, tablets, smartphones and mobile phones.
7.2 Conclusion
In conclusion, most opportunities on having technology and learning how to use it are more
every day. Most classrooms around the world are adding technology to their way of teaching,
and technology has revolutionized education on positive and negative ways. Adding
programs were students can achieve their goals no matter where they are living, internet
having most of the part on this movement. Giving opportunities of jobs to students by
learning to use the most popular programs the computers provides. Educational technology is
the process of developing solutions and forms of teaching using technology to the advantage
of the students and teachers.
In order to lead to progression of the system of education in all regions, facilitate the
acquisition of education among individuals and enable the members of the educational
institutions to carry out their tasks and functions in a well-organized manner, it is necessary
to make use of technologies and modern and innovative methods. The use of technologies
and internet have been used on a comprehensive scale in not only educational institutions, but
also in other organizations. Individuals are making use of internet on a comprehensive extent
for augmenting knowledge and understanding and for other purposes as well. The major
benefits of innovation and educational technologies are, tasks become less time consuming,
facilitate editing and changes, communication, leading to fundamental transformations in the
system of education, generation of ideas to provide solutions to problems, supporting the
learning cycle, promotion of aligned and effective assessments, creating data standards and
strong information platforms, improving productivity and effectiveness and development of
technologies for implementation of managerial functions.

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The other concept that has been taken into account is barriers to innovation in education.
These are, lack of clarity on the problem to be solved, lack of clear and common metrics,
policy is impenetrable to most innovators, lack of research, lack of technology and
innovation, lack of competencies, weak knowledge base, lack of infrastructural facilities, lack
of financial resources and ineffective dissemination. It is vital to formulate measures that
would be elimination of barriers that may take place within the course of implementation of
technologies and innovative methods. The human resources need to upgrade their skills and
abilities that would enable them to make effective use of technologies and put into operation
the innovative methods in the implementation of various tasks and activities.

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Recommendations & Limitations
8.1 Recommendations
The education technology marketplace is a complex one, and many entrepreneurs
and developers are asking themselves what practices and design principles will
make for a quality product that users love and has real impact. Entrepreneurs and
developers, consider these suggestions from some of the best products and
programs out there:
 Open up the design and implementation process. Products and programs
effectively address a real user need when many different stakeholders have
input into design and implementation.
 Remember that users must understand and feel comfortable with
privacy policies. Privacy is an important topic in a technology-rich world,
and especially in education technology. Policies for user privacy protection
should be clear, detailed, and user-friendly.
 Ensure there is an effective way to gather user feedback, and use that
feedback to drive iterative design. The best education technology
companies address specific user-identified needs, consider user feedback
essential, and prioritize customer service to attend to reported problems.
 Manage, repackage and deliver data to educators and administrators in
a manner that is understandable and actionable. Data that is nebulous
and overwhelming detracts from its helpfulness in the classroom, yet data
that tracks student performance or gaps in understanding can be helpful
when shared in a way that educators can use, without confusion or excessive
time.
 Last but certainly not least, integrate relevant academic research into the
development and revision of a product or initiative.

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8.1.1 Sustaining a Business in Times of COVID
“100 years ago, during a similar global pandemic, children had no option to safely
continue learning. Today, with the help of technology, we can ensure that essential
learning doesn’t stop.”
Figure 8.1.1
It’s undeniable that the pandemic has affected businesses of every size and sector across the
globe. In the hyper-warped version of the VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and
ambiguity) world that we are operating in, businesses need to work and adapt at an
unprecedented pace and scale. While this may seem grueling, what we need to remember is
that every crisis gives rise to new opportunities. Addressing a challenge creates fresh ideas,
generates new solutions, and is the foundation of many ever-lasting businesses.
This is the perfect time to assess your business and your sector to emerge with a solid
understanding of what works and what doesn’t. Even in these testing times, businesses still
have the potential to grow if they adapt and make use of this opportunity.
What this means for organizations is that their leadership is faced with steering their business
in a novel setting. While navigating this unknown, a few key measures can come in handy.

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Let the Mission Inspire You
Making sure that you’re in touch with the mission behind the business is crucial during times
like these. It can give you the much-needed boost and motivation to navigate uncharted
waters without getting overwhelmed. Reconnect with the original idea, the original emotion
behind why your business does what it does - it’ll provide a lot of clarity and direction to
where you’re headed.
Assess andAdapt
In this pandemic, scenarios are changing from week to week and as a by-product so are the
needs of the customer. Having a strategy that lends itself to agility definitely helps address
these ever-changing needs.
At BYJU’S we faced this when the shutdown of schools due to the pandemic created the
immediate need for access to good teachers. We responded by launching Live Classes for
students across the country with scheduled sessions 3-4 times a week, so their essential
learning can continue uninterrupted. - Divya Golaknath, Co-Founder of Byju’s
Communicate, Communicate & Communicate
Employees across organizations may have faced unexpected disruption to their work and
their schedule. In such times, clear communication from the top can help provide a sense of
stability. In my opinion authenticity in this communication is important. It can help everyone
across the organization tie themselves together towards the core mission and streamline the
change in processes needed to drive the business forward.
Maintain and Build Trust
Trust is the basis of any successful relationship - be it with customers or co-workers. This
pandemic has caused ripples through every aspect of an organization’s functioning.
However, it’s important that in the aftermath, trust among stakeholders is not compromised.
An open, two-way dialogue between stakeholders can maintain and nurture the trust that has
already been built so far. This will ensure that you have additional support backing you in
these times.

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Accept the Forces at Play
As leaders, try best to manage the smooth functioning of a large number of organizational
aspects. While continue doing this, it helps to avoid brooding on things that are out of one’s
control. Instead, focusing on things that can be bettered through monthly, weekly and most
importantly, daily plans can help you reach your organizational goals in this time of
ambiguity. It’s important to have dynamic plans in place that will help you assess, adapt and
move forward. But, when things don’t go according to plan, don’t let it defeat you.
Remember that these are unprecedented times that call for compassion and empathy, even
inwards. So, in times of a setback, accept, learn and start working again.
8.2 Limitations
In the field of education, tasks and activities need to be carried out at the educators, students,
educational institutions and system levels. The members of the educational institutions aspire
to carry out their tasks and functions to their best abilities and generate appropriate outcomes.
In order to achieve their goals and objectives, they are required to make use of modern and
innovative methods and approaches. Within the course of implementation of modern and
innovative approaches, certain barriers take place, which have been stated as follows:
Lack of Clarity on the Problem to be solved – Within the course of acquisition of
education, there are certain problems that take place. Individuals need to be clear in terms of
making provision of solutions to those problems. When they are not clear, in other words,
lack of clarity is one of the major barriers that may take place. Significant ideological
disagreements about the purpose and role of public education, rights of the states, rights of
parents and so forth, cause perplexity in the definitions of the problems to be solved. Hence,
this is one of the major factors that cause perplexity and lack of clarity on the part on the
individuals in terms of problems to be solved.
Lack of Clear and Common Metrics – A system with 50 standards means many types of
innovations must customize for each state, which is expensive and inhibits innovation. It also
means large amount of funding is used to meet the basic state targets in content and
assessment, leaving less room for innovation in how one is meant to teach and assess
progress. In other words, when making use of modern and innovative methods in the system

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of education, it is necessary for the members to hone their skills and competencies and make
sure that they prove to be beneficial to the individuals in reaching their goals and enhancing
the overall system of education.
Policy is Impenetrable to Most Innovators – Innovations are rarely translated into policy
changes, whether they are from social entrepreneurs, who operate exterior from the system,
where policy constraints are reduced, or from inside change agents, whose work is focused on
the constraints of the traditional system. Transformations of political forces and school
boards are often used as a political stepping stone, leading to spinning wheels in most
districts, which ironically creates almost constant change for the practitioners. But it makes it
impossible to sustain any innovation long enough to truly understand the efficacy. Hence,
policies need to be formulated that would be assisting and supportive to most of the
innovators.
Lack of Research– Market dynamics and incentives do not promote innovation. In order to
bring about innovation in the system of education, it is necessary to alleviate fragmentation
and oligopoly. The educators make visits to other educational institutions as well to generate
awareness in terms of use of modern and innovative methods. They need to conduct research
in terms of how innovative methods are rendering a significant contribution in bringing about
improvements in the system of education. Lack of research and unawareness are major
barriers within the course of utilization of modern and innovative methods in the system of
education. What kinds of innovative methods need to be made use of is also an important
aspect.
Lack of Technology and Innovation – In primarily schools and adult education and training
centers in rural communities, the technology infrastructure is not adequately developed.
There are wide disparities in the system of education in urban and rural areas. In educational
institutions in urban areas, there is usage of technology and innovative methods in
educational institutions at all levels. On the other hand, in educational institutions in rural
areas, there is lack of technology and modern and innovative methods. Due to lack of
technology and innovation, there are occurrence of problems and impediments within the
course of progression of the overall system of education. On the other hand, the use of
traditional methods is impeding learning on the part of students. Hence, it is vital to
implement technology and innovation in teaching-learning methods in educational
institutions in rural areas as well.

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Lack of Competencies – The professions of teaching, school leadership and educational
administration are the ones that not only render an effective contribution in improving student
learning and enhancing the overall system of education, but they are rendering an operative
contribution in promoting well-being of the community. In obtaining these professions, the
individuals need to possess the required educational qualifications, competencies, aptitude
and experience. Lack of competencies on the part of individuals are regarded as the major
barriers within the course of implementation of tasks and activities. When they are to bring
about innovations, they need to ensure they augment their competencies and aptitude. They
need to put in their best abilities to generate the desired outcomes.
Weak Knowledge Base – It is essential for the individuals to upgrade their knowledge and
abilities, particularly in terms of their job duties. In some cases, educators are not aware of
appropriate teaching-learning methods, they do not possess adequate knowledge in terms of
their subjects and concepts and are not experienced. Due to these factors, they are unable to
help students in achieving their academic goals and objectives, they are unable to provide
adequate answers to questions put forward by students and experience impediments within
the course of achievement of academic goals and progression of the overall system of
education. Hence, in order to carry out their job duties appropriately, it is vital for the
individuals, not only in teaching positions, but in other positions as well to augment their
knowledge base.
Lack of Infrastructural Facilities – In educational institutions, in order to lead to
progression of the overall system of education, it is necessary to pay attention towards the
development of infrastructure. The development of infrastructural facilities makes the overall
environmental conditions within educational institutions and classrooms soothing towards
learning. The main infrastructural facilities include, laboratories, library facilities, computer
centers, playgrounds, civic amenities, provision of adequate furniture, equipment and
teaching-learning materials within the classrooms and other facilities, which may lead to
development of interest and motivation and enable the individuals to carry out their job duties
in a well-organized manner. On the other hand, lack of these facilities is regarded as major
barriers within the course of implementation of tasks and activities. Hence, it is vital for the
educators to bring about improvements in the infrastructural facilities.

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Lack of Financial Resources – Financial resources are considered indispensable in leading
to up-gradations in the overall system of education. When new technologies are to be
introduced, or innovative practices need to be implemented or improvements need to be
brought about in instructional strategies or any other aspects of the environmental conditions,
the financial resources are regarded to be of utmost significance. In rural communities in
India, the lack of financial resources is regarded as one of the major barriers within the course
of progression of the overall system of education. Hence, it is essential for the members of
the educational institutions to implement financial planning in an appropriate manner.
Research has indicated that availability of financial resources is regarded as indispensable in
leading to up-gradations in the educational institutions in urban and rural areas.
Ineffective Dissemination – Not much attention has been paid towards dissemination of
knowledge and information. Through dissemination of knowledge and information, benefits
can reach the individuals, beyond those that were originally developed and served. This is
mainly due to isolation of practitioners and their lack of rewards and incentives for adopting
innovative practices. But it is also because, too often, dissemination is referred to the
development of lengthy reports. Therefore, effectiveness in the dissemination process will be
promoted through making use of technology. Through dissemination of information and
knowledge, the individuals will be able to generate awareness and augment their
understanding in terms of the fact, how innovations can be advantageous to individuals in
enhancing the system of education.

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Reference or Bibliography
 United Nation report on socio – economic impact of Covid -19 – March 2020
 Linkedln.com – Various Blogs
 Ms. Divya Golaknath (Co – Founder, Byju’s) Blogs
 Survey report of Google – KPMG on Online Education
 Byju’s.com/ About
 Toppr.com/ About
 Meritnation.com/ About
 UpGrad.com/ About
 Unacademy.com/ About
 Vedantu.com/ About
 Academia.edu
 Medium.com
 Researchgate.com
 Edutechnologychange.weebly.com
 Crunchbase.com
 Digitalpromise.org
 Inc42.com
 Leverageedu.com
 Data Labs Analysis – Inc42.com
 Google Images

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Key Words
 EduTech or EdTech – Educational Technology
 IoT – Internet of Things
 AI – Artificial Intelligence
 FY – Financial Year
 App – Application
 K-5 To K-12 – Class – 5 To Class – 12
 AR & VR – Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality
 SWAYAM – Study of webs of active learning for young aspiring minds
 Bn & Mn – Billion & Million
 B2B – Business to Business
 B2C – Business to Customer or Business to Consumer
 C2C – Customer to Customer or Consumer to Consumer
 UGC – University Grant Commission
 T – prep or Test – prep – Test Preparation
 M & As – Mergers & Acquisitions
 VCR – Video Cassette Recorder
 A & V – Audio & Video
 UN – United Nation
 KPMG – Klynveled Peat Marwick Goerdeler International Company

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A study of innovative ed tech start ups & businesses in the emerging markets and economies