Edtech startup OrangeSlates released a research report around the current state of teacher development in the country. The research was carried out on 200 educators across the country.

The report states that almost 50% of the educators feel they don’t have adequate resources in terms of time or money to up-skill themselves. The report also revealed that about 67.8% of educators now prefer the hybrid teaching format, while 28.2% prefer a complete online experience when it comes to teaching post the COVID-19 pandemic.

Upon being asked about the most challenging part of being a teacher, 24.6% of people feel that attaining a work-life balance is the most difficult task of teaching; the other larger chunk of 21.3% feel that the current salary is not at par with the current industry standards. The OrangeSlates survey was conducted with an objective to understand the technology integration for teachers at an individual level and to further establish the readiness of existing technology evolution that has helped shape a teacher’s life today.

A majority of the respondents feel that gamification will definitely help students learn better and are most likely the future of the edtech industry in the country. Similarly, educators firmly believe that smartphones or devices are as effective for learning and assignments as the world is fast moving towards digitization, and their efficiency can play a significant role in shaping learning for students.

The primary factors for choosing an upskilling course for themselves, the educators of India turn first towards the resource person conducting the sessions, price, and organizations holding the courses in their order of importance. They also prefer both the self-paced as well as live courses owing to their schedules.

Sindu Aven, COO & Co-Founder, OrangeSlates, said, “We conducted a teacher development survey to understand the current needs of our educators. In order to do so, it was extremely crucial to understand their level of comfort with the changing technology and ways of how we can help them upskill themselves at a time when the ecosystem is evolving at high speed. The education sector has undergone a major change. With school re-opening, teachers are now preferring a hybrid teaching format that allows them to connect with their students and enjoy the benefits of teaching from the comfort of their homes. The format has highly helped them attain a healthy work-life balance. Our survey results also indicate that the teachers have now found their comfort with the transition to technology and are prepared for a complete evolution towards tech in teaching.”

Also read: ‘Parents seek hybrid model of education for children’