Tejasvi Bongirwar Musale is the CEO at Luma World, an award winning educational games startup based out of India that makes products for families around the world. After over 10 years of success leading teams and as top level management in telecom and healthcare, she felt the urge to follow her passion in education to create something that added value to young learners across the globe. Through Luma World she works closely with educators and families to help develop innovative play-based resources that help develop life skills and moral values in young learners that go beyond their academic curricula. As a mother to a young daughter, her goal is to leave behind a better planet by educating and inspiring a new generation of responsible, compassionate and innovative thinkers.
The rise (and fall) of EdTech solutions
The immediate reaction to imposition of lockdowns in India, which effectively shut schools and cut off millions of students from access to education, was to go digital. The government, along with the help of startups, non-profit organizations and foundations, soon sprung into action with numerous initiatives by setting up dedicated centers for learning or creating make-shift schools in smaller communities. Programs such as the “SWAYAM” (Study Webs of Active-Learning for Young Aspiring Minds) platform, which offers free online courses from high school to postgraduate levels . Additionally, the National Education Policy 2020 emphasized the integration of play-based learning in education especially through traditional games and activities.
While in the west this may seem like a straightforward activity, in India it was a complex, socio-economic problem. Not only is the digital divide gargantuan but also denies opportunities for
underprivileged kids often setting them back many years in comparison to their affluent peers. Many students lacked access to reliable internet connectivity, devices like laptops or tablets, and a conducive learning environment at home, particularly in rural and economically disadvantaged areas. To further entangle the Gordian knot, many Indian kids use schools as a support system for mental wellbeing, social approval and support, to escape discrimination and abuse and even acquire basic nutrition. The lack of these made the disparity into a national crisis.
Yet, the adoption of educational technology (EdTech) solutions among students, teachers, and parents accelerated rapidly. Companies providing online tutoring, test preparation, skill development courses, and interactive learning content witnessed significant growth. However, as with most pandemic trends, what seemed like a transformational change soon experienced a gradual decline due to a host of problems such as the digital divide, concerns over screen time for children, and the preference for traditional teaching methods.
As parents grappled with the challenges of remote learning, many turned to offine educational board games and toys as a supplement to traditional teaching methods. These hands-on learning tools provided a welcome break from screen time and offered children the opportunity to engage in meaningful, interactive learning experiences with family members. From puzzles and building blocks to strategy games and educational kits, there has been a renewed appreciation for the value of offine learning in the home environment.
To counter this, some educational institutions started implementing blended learning models, which aimed to leverage the benefits of both traditional classroom learning and online education. However, when physical classrooms reopened, the adoption of EdTech rapidly ebbed as the general consensus was that the benefits of traditional forms of learning with a physical tutor far outweighed those offered by technology. This is primarily because effective teaching requires more than just delivering content online; it involves interactive engagement, personalized learning, and adaptive assessments. Adapting pedagogical techniques to suit online environments and diverse learning styles is a complex task. In addition, it requires the facilitator to be highly trained which poses another challenge in a diversecountry like India.
Stay tuned for the final part of this fascinating article which include:
- Why offine Educational Games and Toys work well in India
- Adaptation to the New Normal
