BW Education 40under40 Summit & Awards: Edupreneurs Underline The Importance Of Re-skilling And Upgrading Infrastructure

BW Education organized the 40 under 40 Summit & Awards in association with BW Businessworld to celebrate the immense contribution of the education community. This initiative is aimed at acknowledging the 40 education leaders under the age of 40 who aspire to bring a change and transform the Indian Education landscape.

A panel discussion on ‘Challenges & Potential Solutions for EdTech Firms in India’ was held as a part of this event.

The panel included eminent speakers like - Anish Baheti, Founder, Train My Brain; Gaurava Yadav, Founder & Moderator, IPN India & Founder & CEO, EduACE Services; Dr Raj Padhiyar, Founder & CEO, Digital Gurukul; Venkatesh Sarvasiddhi, Senior Head – Digital Skills & Innovation, Industry Partnerships & CSR – NSDC and Arpit Badjatya, CEO & Managing Director, Serosoft. 

The session was chaired by Vinesh Menon, Education, Consulting & Skilling Government Services Vibgyor & Ampersand Group.

In his opening statement, Arpit Badjatya, CEO & Managing Director, Serosoft said, “Over time we have realised that there are many challenges in the classroom and the institutions here. Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world and our mantra is to change the world through technology. Technology will be the key enabler from a business standpoint too.”

Talking about the Edtech sector, Gaurava Yadav, Founder & Moderator, IPN India & Founder & CEO, EduACE Services asserted, “EdTech is a very cyclical sector. Ours was a very below the line company until March. But when you're hit by a crisis like COVID, you have to adapt. Now, we forward to make a quantum jump.”

Venkatesh Sarvasiddhi, Senior Head – Digital Skills & Innovation, Industry Partnerships & CSR –NSDC, underlined the importance of skilling and said,“We need the right trainers and the right faculties. That's missing in this country. We need to focus on skilling and upgrading the infrastructure. It is extremely important for our country.”

“There has to be a different way of learning things. We can convert the physical deck of cards into a virtual deck of cards, with the use of technology. Penetration of the devices and internet is the key,” explained Anish Baheti, Founder, Train My Brain.

According to Dr Raj Padhiyar, Founder & CEO, Digital Gurukul, digital platforms are evolving every single day and all the EdTech firms are using digital platforms in a very creative way. 

“Most of the EdTechs have immature knowledge when it comes to digital marketing. As an entrepreneur, you need to understand how the digital marketing industry works,” he said.

He also stressed on the need to implement NEP 2020, as fast as possible.

The session chair, Vinesh Menon, Education, Consulting & Skilling Government Services Vibgyor & Ampersand Group concluded the session by laying emphasis on technology. He ascertained, “Before Corona happened, we had a lot of physical seminars and conferences talking about technology. Corona made us walk the talk.”