By B.K. Sudarshan
Executive Chairman – SUDARSHAN WORLD

It has been promised for a long time that technology will change education for better – make it more affordable and accessible. The cost of educating one of the world’s greatest populations has been steadily increasing, and there is expectation that technology may make education affordable for those who are so far unable to benefit from the same.

There was a time when experts talked about education technology in terms of audio, visual and experiential technology. They also spoke about hardware technology, software technology and system based technology. These are now jargons of the past, as rapid strides made in the last decade in domain of education technology, sometimes called edtech, has made old concepts obsolete.

It is estimated that about a billion people globally are now benefiting from education technologies.

Global investors have invested billions of dollars in education technology developers focusing on following issues and the result is showing.

• Classroom based technologies
• Classroom technology to increase engagement through multimedia
• Performance management and tracking systems
• Classroom based distance learning
• Learning apps – free, premium and freemium
• Online learning management systems
• Homework and assignments tracking systems
• Social platform for a classroom to interact online
• Online textbook depositories
• Mobile based learning management systems
• Education Resource Planning– schedule and communication management

India has not been exactly far behind, with a crop of Indian entrepreneurs working on edtech targeted at indigenous problems. For policy makers, it is very important to understand where the edtech industry is headed and how it’s potential can be tapped into in order to change the stark realities prevailing in India with respect to education at the grassroots.

Our new government at the center has been emphasizing on e-learning to be introduced in all schools.