DoSEL is developing a common platform to work closely with edtech companies and start-ups

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 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”.

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.