The past two years have been momentous for the education sector with the Covid-19 pandemic accelerating digitisation in learning and advancing it by at least a decade. “The sudden shift to digital learning resulted in the edtech sector growing by 65% and creating close to 1,25,000 new employment opportunities,” Shantanu Rooj, CEO & founder, TeamLease EdTech, shared with FE.

On one hand, technologies like game-based learning, ML and AI took a front seat and helped personalise and improve the learning process and enhanced learner engagement, and on the other many needed policy reforms like permitting universities to conduct 40% of their courses online, augmenting degree apprenticeships (by allowing all universities to start programmes), 35 universities being allowed to launch online programmes, introduction of the Academic Bank of Credit, etc, started taking shape, giving the sector much-needed impetus.

In 2022, Rooj said, the need of the hour is to enable faster, seamless implementation of these reforms. “Investments are required to further boost adoption of technology and creation of a stronger digital learning ecosystem. A paradigm shift in 2022 will be the role that online universities will play with regard to massifying higher education and improving the gross enrolment ratio,” he said.

“Degree apprenticeship, a credible solution to addressing India’s glaring dropout rates, is expected to improve employability of learners by miles in the next five years. With the right and timely deregulation of the sector and the financial aid provided to institutions, the learning ecosystem is expected to improve by 45%, digital infrastructure to grow by 75%, and the edtech sector likely to grow by 80%.”