86% Indian teachers believe that emergence of Edtechs have expanded job opportunities

India Edtech Consortium (IEC), the self-regulatory body formed under the aegis of IAMAI, revealed the results of a recently conducted Survey on teachers to assess the efficacy and quality of education the Edtech companies are driving within the country. The survey indicates that a whopping 86% Indian teachers believe that the emergence of Edtechs have expanded job opportunities for them; whereas 82% believe that technology has enhanced their teaching capabilities.

In self-reported data, IEC member companies have also highlighted that a spend of about INR 3500 crores was made during FY22 to enhance the overall learning ecosystem comprising teachers, content, pedagogy and faculty.

The government has increased its education budget in 2022, thereby exceeding INR 1 lakh crore (US$ 13.08 billion) for the first time, according to information presented to the Rajya Sabha. Interestingly, the total investment made by IEC member companies towards the betterment & enhancement of the learning ecosystem which is about 3-4% of the overall government budget, thereby reinforcing their commitment to driving career outcomes for their students.

Some of IEC’s member companies include leading Edtech startups – upGrad, BYJU's, Careers360, Classplus, Doubtnut, Great Learning, Harappa, Times Edutech & Events Limited, Scaler, Simplilearn, Toppr, Unacademy, UNext Learning, Vedantu and WhiteHat Jr, among others.

The National Teachers Survey was conducted amongst 700+ teachers who work with IEC member companies across metros and non-metros to evaluate the level of job satisfaction they have experienced amid such dynamic times. It revealed:

• 62% of teachers feel that their work-life balance has improved in the post-pandemic era – a trend observed in both metros and non-metros
• 74% of teachers expressed that Edtech companies are helping them enjoy more flexibility in terms of work hours. However, 10% also cited that their work-life harmony has been disturbed amid times when the industry is evolving at a neck break pace.

A teacher working with one of the member-Edtechs, said, “The post-pandemic world saw greater adoption of technology and the effects were felt everywhere including the education sector. We immediately had to switch gears to operate online so as to maintain the uninterrupted flow of education, which indeed was a big responsibility. We learned the know-how of Edtech platforms and tools which initially appeared tricky because of the offline set-up we were privy to, but honestly, the online way forward is far more convenient, and offers a lot of room to learn constantly.”

Commenting on the development, Mayank Kumar, Chair at IEC said, “It's strange to see that people want qualified teachers for their children but they themselves do not want to qualify for the role. Teaching as a profession has taken a backseat, which of course is an alarming situation. Therefore, IEC reached out to such practitioners to assess how well-placed are they in their profession. 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. These insights from the industry are likely to also accelerate the adoption of Teaching as a sought-after career option.”

Divya Gokulnath, Co-chair at IEC, sees this survey as yet another validation of the liberating and empowering potential of EdTech for India’s teachers. “We are really happy to have this data-driven validation of the positive impact of EdTech on India’s teachers. Not only have tech-enabled teachers been able to teach better and reach more students, they have also benefitted from more job opportunities and higher salaries. The numbers have spoken. The golden age of India’s teachers has returned,” she said.