Digital schools have become the new normal in a post-pandemic world

Bangalore-based technology professional Rahul Tiwari enrolls his children in a digital-only school because, he says, it offers more flexibility than conventional schools. “Of course there is more personal attention and teachers are better monitored,” Tiwari said. She is one of a growing number of parents who are opting for online education only for their children, even after the reopening of regular schools across the country as the epidemic has subsided.

According to industry experts, AdTech platforms are seeing demand for new digital forms of homeschooling, where teaching is enhanced by sophisticated machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

“The National Education Policy has more than 100 subjects from which students can choose, but schools usually offer five to six routines. In online schools, experts are hired for subjects like Carnatic music, Sindhi and Urdu, which many regular schools do not offer, “said Vijayshree Kalani, head of admissions at Cyboard School.

The cyborg school is CBSE approved and has 400 students from nursery to sixth grade, with plans to add another 380 when admissions are completed. Only online schools have classes from 9am to 2.30pm with regular breaks.

Parents like Tiwari, whose children attend 21K schools, noticed that when physical schools moved online, teachers struggled with virtual classrooms because many were not properly trained.

“We were reluctant to go to online schools only, but we noticed that the virtual classrooms that their regular schools hosted had reduced the performance of both our children. We decided to try-only online. In these schools, teachers are equipped with all the skill-sets to employ children online, “said Tiwari.

Demand is also coming from Tier-II and -III cities where families have financial means but access to good schools can be a challenge.

Santosh Kumar, co-founder and CEO of 21K School, said, “We have also seen parents who have moved to Tier-II or Tier-III town for work and have not been able to enter a good quality school in their area. The online school started its academic year in 2020-2021 From 300 students then, now it’s 500 3,500 The Indian curriculum for 21K schools is approved by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS).

Competing Cyboard School has mentioned that most of its students belong to Delhi-NCR, Lucknow, Kanpur, Mumbai and Pune. Fee range from 3From 25,000 338,000 per year.

The need for online schools only increased as families moved from town to town during the epidemic.

According to 21K schools, there are 2 million students between the ages of 4 and 17 who are enrolled in the homeschooling format.

Not everyone is sure whether digital education can replace physical classes for an extended period of time. Devi Kar, director of Modern High School for Girls in Kolkata, said, “Teachers learn body language when they are in class.”