Will Bhasha and Bharat headline the growth of Indian EdTech?

For a rural user living in the outskirts of Ambala in Haryana or Nashik in Maharashtra or further remote corners of India, digital learning was no less than a far-fetched dream a decade ago. Not only was conventional schooling available to a select few, the system was plagued by infrastructural constraints, long distances and gaps in instruction delivery. Covid-19 widened this gap further making rural kids lose out on basic daily education.

However, the initial hiccups also propelled us to a direction no one had imagined before. Edtech platforms emerged as a catalyst in transforming learning for millions in India and its impact spilled over to India’s smaller towns and cities as well. As digital adoption surged in tier 2 and 3 cities, the all pervasive power of technology made learning possible for students within the comfort and convenience of their homes.

What this transition also did was bring back a renewed focus on the criticality of localized learning. While the initial growth for Indian Edtech was scripted by metros and Tier 1 cities with English being the predominant language of consumption, the aftermath of the pandemic saw platforms riding on smaller cities to widen reach and create a holistic learning environment. On Brainly, students from towns such as Lucknow, Indore and Patna account for increasing traction today as compared to metros like Delhi and Mumbai.

Localisation is key to learning:

If experts are to be believed, therein lies the biggest opportunity that would redefine the norms of education in India and democratize it for all. In fact, for all industries, the next phase of growth will be enabled by the vernacular. India’s tier 2 and 3 cities' core middle class and newly rising middle-class households make up the bulk of this demography where Hinglish and local languages are majorly spoken. Nearly 528 million individuals make up this cohort, often known as the Next Half Billion (NHB). It is anticipated that this NHB sector will propel K12 EdTech growth in India and account for $400 million out of $1.7 billion in near future.

According to industry reports, rural India has over 352 million internet users and 90 percent of these users prefer to use their local language to search and carry out tasks online. So, for Indian Edtech to spiral upward, it’s imperative for platforms to increase the adoption of language based learning and diversify.

Benefits of empowering Bharat:

In India, there are 22 scheduled languages, besides the two official languages (Hindi and English). For such a culturally variant nation, language is thus intrinsically linked to learning, increased participation and a well rounded education framework. Consuming information in a language of comfort imparts confidence, understanding and expertise building the foundation for future skill sets. While traditional schooling is bereft of this benefit, edtech companies are increasingly focusing on languages to extend their footprint. Brainly education app has made its extensive knowledge base available across Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, and Sanskrit for Indian students.

The government is also taking consistent measures to provide vernacular education at the grassroot level. Even the National Education Policy 2020 also stressed on the importance of multilingualism and mother tongue as the medium of instruction.. However, the road ahead is peppered with a few challenges. Infrastructure, including bandwidth still remains a major issue, especially in rural areas. High-speed internet is necessary for innovation-driven learning. With Tier 2 and 3 cities still encountering bandwidth constraints, the pace of digital adoption here will continue to be a cause of concern for major edtech players.

Increased focus would also have to be put on the quality of content. The increasing propensity in Indian parents to enroll their kids in English medium schools also stems out of the lack of faith in language resources and the quality of the materials on offer. So, apart from offering improved access to extensive materials online, edtech players need to make the content engaging in vernacular languages so that it creates an enriching learning experience. Innovation in formats, infusion of gamification, AR, VR and increased customization in vernacular content are going to be key factors for driving long term growth.

Needless to say, the future of education would depend on how companies understand ‘Bharat’ and its ever evolving demands. The day a student in Maharashtra begins to view a different screen than a student in Tamilnadu or a student in a remote village gets tutoring support just at the click of a device, the next chapter in Indian EdTech would finally begin to transpire.