To meet the educational requirements of Indian students; the entire educational infrastructure is trying to go digital. While students have access to platforms like Byju’s & Vedantu what about the schools & the teachers? While most of them are trying to engage their students online, here is a platform that has been empowering both sides of the coin so that synergy is established between them and the platform of Online Education can be utilized at its optimum.
Gairika Mitra gets more insights into the e-learning model of education from founder, Saiju Aravind.
How do you think is the sector going to upsurge in the near future?
Personalized and individualized teaching and learning will be the game changer, not only for our country but for the whole world, in the years to come. And for that, anyone who is in the position of teaching/ mentoring/ supporting the learner must have the learner’s profile to the extent of knowing the learner’s strong and weak areas, innate propensity to learn, predominantly by doing (Kinesthetic) or viewing (Visual) and more (individualization). AI will play a pre-eminent role in identifying not only the above but also in suggesting domains where the learner can excel in (personalization) and identify/ provide the set of skills required to pursue a successful career of choice in (object-oriented learning). Pre-teaching will be enabled by AI-based Flipped Classrooms where students have a good amount of knowledge before stepping into the class itself. The time is not too far when even a rockstar teacher will depend heavily on AI for delivering in the classroom in an inclusive manner and reaching out to each student in a manner that is best suited to the learner and in tune with their learning bias. Even the popular Bloom’s and Daggett’s Taxonomy will be augmented by AIML.
What is the exclusiveness of your startup, that’s unique from other gigantic players in the market?
USP : It empowers the teachers to become Rock star teachers through integrated and inclusive teaching methods. The platform and the content in it are arranged for facilitating students with self-learning through GRIP ( Grasping, Retaining, Integrating and Personalizing). Analytics-based individualised teaching intervention is another major feature in the platform.
The EduBrisk Methodology is holistic in that it includes Teachers and Parents as well. It lends practical solutions to its core belief of the need to understand how to learn before imparting and gaining knowledge.
EduBrisk functions on its unique brand purpose of ‘Learning to Learn Effortlessly’, ‘Learning to Teach Inclusively’ and ‘Learning to Mentor Effectively’, targeted for Students, Teachers, and Parents, respectively.
The EduBrisk platform uses neuroscience based brain-friendly learning techniques and is CBSE and ICSE curriculum aligned. It integrates all the stakeholders in the education environment. It is the only e-learning platform that has extensively used logic and memory in day to day curriculum. The platform has a unique AI that provides for horizontal and vertical integration of topics across subjects and curriculums. Its analytics based intervention and a common knowledge bank created on the platform is the first of its kind making it brain-friendly and scientific in approach.
What is the latest mode of technology that you are catering to?
The platform consists of software tools, content and the process. The content and process is generated in house but the software development unit consists of an inhouse team along with technology partners who are investors in the company.
Our deliverables are handwoven for teachers by equipping them with tools and content that can homogenize a classroom. It provides for an advanced diagnostic-tracking system that makes a SWOT analysis on the child and accordingly pitch concepts and topics at his/her level.
The company has key technology partners in India and abroad that have developed the web platform and AI/ML in accordance to our requirements. The dynamics shared between the two parties have helped in regular updates of the site, tool upgradation according to the needs of a student based on pedagogy.
How important do you think is it for people to rely on technology? Are there any major follies per se?
Tech is meant to make the world a better place. In some cases if the technology is not regulated or not used in moderation can harm just like anything else in the world which is to be debated and concluded by concerned authorities. We have been taught the importance of living a life ‘in moderation’ by nature over and over. As far as Ed Tech is concerned, the power of technology was highly under utilised in improving teaching-learning standards and in replication and scaling of quality resources in Educational institutes.
The real problem is the inability to strike that balance , where on one side we see most Ed Tech company’s tall ( and stupid) claim that with technolgy the schools and teachers can be replaced and on the other side school owners and teachers giving in to that claim trying to protect their position by warding off Ed Tech. Schools will remain forever, may not be in its present configuration, but as flipped education centers , where higher order engagement in academics, soft skills and life skills will be imparted by educationists who will use Ed Tech as powerful tools in their hands to moderate content, improve efficiency in teaching-learning, and in analytics based intervention like an expert doctor. Teachers with Ed Tech expertise will be respected and rewarded both by society and the employer.
Coming to the financial perspective, are you a bootstrapped venture? If not, kindly elucidate on the nature and amount of funding raised.
The company is on the verge of finalizing a deal which proposes a USD 5 million investment through FDI which will be utilized for marketing and scaling up the operations. The concerted effort of such partnership is for accessing 1000 schools across the country thereby increasing the revenue by at least 50 crores in the next 18 months.
What are your immediate and longterm milestones like?
A large number of schools have shown interest in the Company’s offerings. Our aim is to select those school owners/management who are keen in improving results and adopting 21st century education practices and who are passionate educationists and this has been figured out in the first few discussions. Once they understand it and believe it, we not only provide our tools but also human intervention services to ease their load. We aim on becoming a knowledge partner to 1000 schools in the next 18 months.
Lastly, any word of advice for the wannapreneurs?
There is a difference between ‘falling in love with love’ and ‘loving someone’. The whole idea of entrepreneurship is like an esoteric concept for many. A genuine lover although may be fascinated by the ‘concept of love’, he/she knows on whom that feeling should be reposed and with what expectation. I have seen that wannapreneurs who are not simply in love with the ‘concept of entrepreneurship’, but who are convinced about a certain ‘venture’ for its benefits, backed by evidence, experimentation and foresight, survive the struggles associated with entrepreneurship.