AMID A debate on the need to regulate the edtech (education technology) sector, which has drawn criticism over trade malpractices, the Department of School Education and Literacy (DoSEL) is developing a “common platform” to work closely with edtech companies and start-ups to identify areas of cooperation including “content development in partnership with NCERT”. The department secretary, Sanjay Kumar, who met BYJU'S co-founder Divya Gokulnath last month, told The Indian Express that it was important to “interact and engage” with these companies at a time the government was rolling out the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 and framing the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) for school education. “There are many players, edtech companies and start-ups in the field of school education and we (DoSEL) need to map and interact and engage with them. This is particularly important at a time when we are operationalising NEP-2020 and in pursuance to that the NCF is being framed for foundational, preparatory, middle and secondary level,” Kumar said on his meeting with Gokulnath. The Centre's move to formally engage with the edtech players comes a year after Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan announced that the government was working on a policy to regulate the sector, following concerns, including in Parliament, that the companies were indulging in “malpractices” to lure customers. However, the government stepped back after the companies formed a consortium and adopted a code of conduct to self-regulate their businesses. Sources said while the ministry is aware of the criticism against the edtech sector, “there is a growing realisation that shying away from engaging with these companies is not the way out”. Asked about the possible areas where the government can work with the edtech companies, Kumar said: “One area of cooperation could be content development, which is an expensive exercise, in partnership with the NCERT. While it can ensure that the content offered by all these companies are NEP-compliant, the NCERT also stands to gain from the exchange of ideas.” The Department of School Education released the NCF for foundational level (children aged 3-8 years), which emphasises play-based learning at the pre-school and lower primary level, in October 2022. Last week, it released the teaching material prepared on the basis of the NCF. Similarly, NCF for higher classes, as well as teacher and adult education, will be released over the next few months, and accordingly, syllabus and teaching material will be drawn up. In this context, Kumar said the department feels the need of working with all edtech companies and start-ups engaged in school education field. “Developing a common platform is important. EdCIL is already involved in the enumeration process (of edtech firms and start-ups),” he added. EdCIL, which is a public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Education, offers management and consultancy services, mostly to the Centre and states. Around the time Pradhan floated the proposal to regulate the sector, the education ministry had also issued an advisory, cautioning people against enrolling in new courses without careful evaluation, as in many cases paid courses are couched as free courses in advertisements issued by edtech platforms. The edtech sector, which gained prominence during the pandemic that saw large-scale adoption of digital modes of teaching, has been reeling under a crisis since last year. Most companies, including BYJU'S, have laid off hundreds of employees citing the need for cost cutting. Many of these companies have also shifted their focus towards offline learning centres.
