Is our education sector future-ready and poised to take on the new challenges? Education in India has decisively moved on from classrooms to homes in the 3 months since the first lockdown.
Since then, the Indian education system is showing a lot of potential for further development. The government directive to raise the current gross enrolment ratio to 30 % by the end of 2020 and the COVID crisis has boosted the growth of distance education in India.
The sunshine sector even during the dark and gloomy days of the lockdown-
The facts are for all to see. India has the world’s largest population — about 500 million, in the age bracket of 5–24 years. The aspiring young Indians looking for earnings-oriented education curriculum has made the nation the second largest market for e-learning after the US.
With more than 10 million users, the sector will cross US$1.96 Billion by 2021 in terms of market size. The FDI inflow in the sector also witnessed an all-time high right before lockdown, and with the unlocking in place, the sector is likely to have a v-shaped recovery.
Roadmap for educational institutions
It is expected that by 2030, a combination of training methodology involving online learning and gamification is expected to grow at 38% YoY. The education industry, comprising of Educational institutions, schools, coaching institutes, training centers, as well as online education portals and ed-tech support companies, need to gear up for the fast-paced growth without losing sight of their primary goal- uninterrupted learning and upskilling of the Indian population.
The steps that can be taken by educational institutions in this direction are
1. Adopt a transformative, fluid, and innovative approach towards higher education- The learning has moved out from classrooms. Students can learn more from real-life practical scenarios and it also makes education more meaningful and rewarding when they can come up with practical solutions to crises or everyday problems.
2. Encourage removal of gender disparity- The education industry can make it their single CSR agenda to reduce/ eliminate the gender-based and social disparity. The initiatives are taken by the education institutions also pave the way for a more balanced societal outlook of the future generations mentored by them.
3. Tap the potential of the vast young population- India could easily be the single largest provider of global talent for all kinds of services. Scientific research, healthcare, education, manufacturing are just some of the sectors where Indians have already made a mark, and the education industry can contribute to this skilled workforce by bringing more globalized pedagogy into the system.
The future of education in India post COVID and its PR goals could vary from growth, development, fundraising, or brand enhancement, but one thing is common across various sectors within the industry that all the stakeholders need to work hard to eliminate the redundancies of the past and work on modernization of pedagogical milestones and outcomes.
An effective internal and external communications strategy shall help in attaining the goals and transform the industry to be future-ready.
About the Author:
Bulbul Satsangi – She is a Digital Startegy Consultant at K2 Communications Pvt. Ltd. A Finance professional in her previous avatar, Bulbul, entered the arena of content writing to sooth her creative energy. In the past 5 years, she has worked on all the aspects of internet and helped many businesses establish their online identity.
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