The EdTech companies in India experienced significant growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. And then when classes went back to school this year, the bubble seemed to have burst, with the largest players in the market announcing lay-offs. The number of EdTech start-ups raising funding rounds this year has also dried up significantly when compared to last year.
On-board this ship in such rocky waters are the teachers and tutors employed in these EdTech firms. While numbers might be dodgy this year, with the introduction of the Common Universities Entrance Test (CUET), the EdTech platforms have another competitive exam to prepare students for. The India Edtech Consortium (IEC), a self-regulatory body, formed under the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), conducted a National Teachers Survey, covering 700+ teachers working with its member companies in metros and non-metros, according to a statement by the IEC. The IEC includes some noted Indian EdTech start-ups such as upGrad, BYJU's, Careers360, Simplilearn, Toppr, Unacademy, and Vedantu.
Investments, work-life balance and more
The survey also revealed that Ed-Tech companies who were members of the IEC had invested a total of Rs 3,500 crores during the Financial Year 2022 in the teaching, content and pedagogy developed at their respective companies.
The survey revealed that 86% of these teachers believed that EdTech companies have expanded job opportunities for them. Technology, which is a crucial part of EdTech teaching has also "enhanced their teaching capabilities" said the tutors surveyed.
And while 62% of teachers believed that their work-life balance improved by working with an EdTech, 10% of them also stated that the pace at which EdTech companies were scaling had "disturbed their work-life harmony". EdTechs also enable teachers to exercise flexibility when it came to their work hours. This was stated by 74% of the teachers surveyed.
"The survey results reflect the operational efficiency of the ecosystem through the efforts taken by Edtech companies which have remained at the forefront to provide teachers with an all-inclusive learning environment through L&D sessions, group discussions, and market-relevant study materials for enhancing their personalised teaching capabilities," said Mayank Kumar, Chair at IEC.
