We want to define the future of learning: Byju Raveendran
New Delhi: Edtech startup Byju’s wants to define the future of learning in India and overseas as learning takes an online path, that may stay beyond the pandemic, said a top executive.
“I want to define the future of learning and create a part of it and find that ideal blended format of learning. I will be happy if I can play a role in defining the online schools of tomorrow,” Byju Raveendran, founder and CEO, Byju’s at the ongoing Resurgence TiEcon Delhi–NCR virtual event on Thursday.
Raveendran said that it is all about finding the right balance between being technology driven, media-enabled content first strategy and believing in the power of self-learning. “Any student who learns on our platform are self-learners so what I am trying to make popular is the love for learning in students not just in India but around the world.”
Edtech firms like Byju’s got a shot in the arm due to the pandemic induced lockdown when learning went online.
“Our biggest challenge was how to bring screen learning in the mainstream, but lockdown led people to take up online education. Our classrooms will be changing for the first time in 100 years,” said Raveendran adding that schools should not completely go online because of values like empathy, teamwork and other life skills are learned only in a school’s corridors or playgrounds.
In August, the Bengaluru-based edtech startup acquired WhiteHat Jr, an online coding school for young kids, for $300 million.
“This is a clear opportunity for India to create a huge talent pool of teachers for the world,” said Raveendran. White hat employs highly qualified Indian women who were not fully represented in the workforce as they had been given up on mainstream jobs. Before this, these teaching jobs didn’t exist, so White Hat was creating a huge impact in hiring women teachers who were not employed and tapping into a talent pool which was under-utilized.
Raveendran said that it is the golden age for teachers today and it was early days for technology and its intervention in education.
“The area is grossly under-invested and this space can be used to help teachers, help students learn online, institutions go online and create formats for reskilling and upskilling so there’s enough and more to be done here.” It is one of the most important sectors with lots of investors jumping in, but India doesn’t have a $100 bn education company yet, so there is room for good players, he added.
Entrepreneurship is all about how to build muscle the hard way, be passionate about what you are building, have a long-term approach, and find the right team, he said.
“Dream big but have monthly, weekly and daily goals so then you won’t make big mistakes. Also, measuring what you do is important,” Raveendran said.
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Published: 28 Jan 2021, 08:44 PM IST