India's leading edtech firms announce formation of self-regulatory body

The India EdTech Consortium (IEC) under the aegis of IAMAI, will ensure that every learner shall have access to quality and affordable education

Leading edtech companies including Byju’s, Simplilearn, Unacademy, upGrad and Vedantu, under the aegis of Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), on Wednesday announced the formation of the India EdTech Consortium (IEC).  Aligned with the government’s recent advisory, the IEC will ensure that every learner shall have access to quality and affordable education, which not only improves their academic performance but also makes them future-ready.

With consumer interest at the core of the consortium, the edtech companies have committed to observe and adhere to a common ‘code of conduct’ and establish a two-tier grievance redressal ,mechanism to ensure that the positive impact of the industry reaches every deserving consumer while protecting their interests and promoting their rights.

Several edtech entities have joined the IEC such as Byju’s, Careers 360,Classplus, Doubtnut, Great Learning, Harappa, Times Edutech & Events Ltd, Scaler, Simplilearn, Toppr, Unacademy, upGrad, UNext Learning, Vedantu and WhiteHat Jr.

“IAMAI and members of the India EdTech Consortium (IEC) are deeply committed to ensuring ethical standards to protect learners on online educational platforms. IEC seeks to empower the learners by not just helping them make informed decisions but by also having their grievances redressed timely,” said Subho Ray, president, Internet and Mobile Association of India. “The formation of this self-regulatory body is an important step towards protecting learners as more and more students, teachers and stakeholders are becoming a part of the online education ecosystem.”

IAMAI said the move to set up IEC comes at a time when Indian edtech players are creating immense value for the global audience. The disruptions led by the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and subsequent lockdowns compelled both parents and educational institutions to implement tech-enabled learning solutions, thereby accelerating the growth of the edtech sector.

“We are completely aligned with the Government's principles on safeguarding consumer interests and welcome the creation of guidelines that help students reach their learning goals in a manner that makes them future ready and conceptually strong,” said Divya Gokulnath, co-founder of Byju’s. “We have always believed that the student should be at the center of the education system and as educators we must do everything possible to create the right set of processes and methods to empower and enhance their learning."

Byju's, the Byju Raveendran-led firm is currently valued at $21 billion and is the world’s most valuable edtech start-up.

Indian edtech operators have been solving for accessibility and affordability through quality courses from best teachers, instructors and faculty members, to ensure that students across all age groups are benefiting from the innovation in the education sector. This has elevated India’s position on the global map as an education hub. The overall Indian EdTech ecosystem impacts over 500 million school students, college students and working professionals across India. At this scale, it is critical that the ecosystem follows a framework that will protect the rights of our learners and all EdTech companies are committed to this.

“The Indian edtech sector has grown considerably over the last two years with funding and consolidations strengthening the ecosystem. However, while business growth is critical, so is consumer protection since this will allow students and parents to make more informed decisions about the future,” said Vamsi Krishna, co-founder and CEO, Vedantu. “Therefore, as part of the newly institutionalized IEC, we will build a sounder and more ethical ecosystem for students so that we can ensure their safety and mitigate any risks they may encounter in their journey to be future-ready.”

Mayank Kumar, co-founder and MD, upGrad and co-chairperson, IAMAI EdTech Committee, said the last two years have witnessed the rise of online education as a connecting bridge to access flexible and quality education for students as well as working professionals.

“With the sole purpose of improving the delivery of education services, it is now crucial for us to foster and sustain stakeholder trust by safeguarding their interest as a practice,” said Kumar. “This initiative will go a long way in strengthening the EdTech sector and establishing India as the Teaching capital of the world.”

In the recent past, the education sector has undergone significant transformation and edtech has supplemented in driving new-age academic excellence.  Having created a significant impact by offering quality and affordable education services, EdTech entities have also improved learnability and employability for users to address the evolving needs of the job market. The adaptive learning solutions have ensured that learners are not merely ‘knowledge receivers’ but ‘knowledge creators’ as well. The sector has also created large number of employment opportunities. However, as the sector and end users grow at a fast pace, it is critical to establish a standard code of conduct for all Indian edtech entities to adhere to and ensure that ‘learners’ remain at the core of all the business practices.

The move to set up IEC at a time when last year in December, the government issued an advisory to citizens or parents regarding use of caution against ed-tech companies. The advisory had said that given the pervasive impact of technology in education, many ed-tech companies have started offering courses, tutorials, coaching for competitive exams, etc. in an online mode. In this background, the parents, students and all stakeholders in school education have to be careful while deciding on opting for online content and coaching being offered by a host of ed-tech companies. The decision has to be well considered with several Do’s and Don’ts.

Most importantly, the advisory said the offer of free services that are promised by some companies has to be carefully evaluated. It had come to the notice of the Department of School Education and Literacy that some ed-tech companies are luring parents in the garb of offering free services and getting the Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) mandate signed or activating the Auto-debit feature, especially targeting the vulnerable families.