How EdTech startups can leverage the education budget 2023 to promote teacher retention and career growth?

India’s education sector is on the cusp of a digital revolution, and edtech startups are at the forefront of this transformation. With the government’s focus on education and teacher training, the edtech industry is experiencing a surge in funding and innovation. In the recently announced budget, the education ministry was allocated its highest-ever grant of approx INR 1.13 lakhs crore.

The official financial plan of the country focuses a major chunk of its education allotment on teacher training and improving the quality of the teaching profession. It is interesting to see how this presents many opportunities to the edtech sector to tackle the long-present issues of teacher retention and career growth for teachers in India.

To understand more on this, let us analyse the parts of the budget that specifically focuses on these two aspects.

Teacher Retention & Career Growth in Budget 2023

The 2023 budget can be seen as a watershed moment in the education sector in modern India as it tries to view teachers as separate yet fundamental entities to ensure high-quality learning in students. Moreover, it highlights the critical need to infuse some much-needed vigour into the teaching profession to boost teacher retention and provide a satisfactory career journey for teachers.

The budget talks about innovative pedagogy and the renewed role of the District Institute of Education & Training (DIET). This highlights the budget’s focus towards highly skilled teachers who are motivated and, at the same time, at par with the international standards of pedagogical training.

The minister mentions recruiting 38,800 highly skilled teachers for the 748 Eklavya schools, along with terms like professional development, surveys, demand-driven skill development, industry partnerships, and alignment of courses with the needs of the industry.

How Can Edtechs Take This Further?

As we can see, the budget for 2023 has laid impressive groundwork for edtech players by focusing on revamping the approach towards the teaching profession. Here are some ways that edtechs can take advantage of the opportunities presented by this and boost teacher retention and career growth:

Providing Teacher Training Through Innovative Pedagogy

Edtechs can offer innovative pedagogical solutions to support teachers in delivering high-quality education. For instance, they can bring the best pedagogical practices from across the world and allow teachers to access them from home through online upskilling programmes. This way, teachers will be able to access world-class teacher education at their comfort in a cost-effective manner.

By providing these online programmes, edtechs can offer flexibility and convenience to teachers. Teachers can access the courses anytime and from anywhere, eliminating the need to travel to attend in-person training sessions. This can save teachers time and money, and enable them to continue their professional development.

Mentorship Programs

Edtechs can create mentorship programs that connect teachers with industry experts, who can guide them towards their personal and professional goals.These programs can provide teachers with opportunities to observe and learn from the best. They can also foster a sense of community among teachers, contributing to a greater sense of belongingness and consequently, higher teacher retention.

Performance Evaluation Tools

Performance evaluation tools backed by AI are another way edtechs can help teachers keep up with their professional vigour. Performance evaluation tools allowing teachers to track their professional journey and receive feedback can help them stay competitive and on top of their game. In addition, the tools can help them identify areas for improvement and develop a growth mindset, which is essential for career growth and development.

Recognition Programs

Edtechs can create accessible solutions that recognise and celebrate teachers’ achievements and contributions to the education sector worldwide. Such solutions can help boost teachers’ morale, help develop a sense of pride in their work, and increase their motivation to continue teaching.

For example, these platforms can help teachers gain recognition through accessible digital presence that they can showcase at a global stage. They can use technology to maximise teachers’ visibility online. The platforms can also provide support for multiple languages to make the presence accessible to a wider audience.

Recognition programs can also promote a culture of collaboration and knowledge-sharing among teachers. By highlighting teachers’ best practices and success stories from across the globe, edtechs can encourage other teachers to adopt similar approaches and strategies in their classrooms.

These programs can also help edtechs build stronger relationships with schools and other educational institutions. By partnering with schools to offer recognition programs, edtechs can positively impact the education community and establish themselves as valuable contributors to the sector.

Wrapping Up

In conclusion, the Indian edtech sector has enormous potential. The government has recognised their importance in transforming the education sector. Their efforts to support the growth of this sector have created an unique opportunity for edtechs to drive a positive change in the education ecosystem.

Edtechs must fully understand the potential of this opportunity and strategize innovative solutions to address the gaps in the teaching profession. By leveraging technology, edtechs can create engaging and effective solutions that make teaching a desirable and fulfilling career choice, and enable teachers to create a lasting impact on students’ lives.

(The author is Mr. Rishabh Khanna, Founder, and CEO of Suraasa, and the views expressed in this article are his own)