– Devvaki Aggarwal, Founder & CEO, instrucko

India is home to approximately 472 million children aged (0–18 years), accounting for nearly 39 percent of its population. This makes India one of the youngest countries in the world-yet the challenge is stark: how do we educate this young population with only 2.5 million teachers?

India’s educational landscape is rich, diverse, and full of potential, but it also carries deep-rooted systemic challenges. Tier 1 cities generally benefit from reputed schools, qualified teachers, and robust resources, while Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns struggle with longstanding gaps. These include teacher shortages, outdated pedagogy, insufficient training opportunities, and limited infrastructure. As a result, learning outcomes are uneven and often inadequate.

Rural and semi-urban regions rely heavily on under-qualified and under-trained teachers. Access to high-quality professional development is limited, leading to inconsistent teaching standards. Schools in these areas also lack essential infrastructure such as libraries, laboratories, and spaces for holistic activities, which are crucial for students’ all-round development.

Furthermore, students in smaller towns often miss out on extracurricular opportunities—foreign languages, public speaking, creative writing, and other enrichment activities—that are widely available in metropolitan areas. Their physical location becomes a major disadvantage, restricting exposure, confidence, and aspirations.

This is where the rise of EdTech presents a transformative opportunity. Virtual classes, both for individual learners and schools, can bridge these gaps by connecting students to qualified teachers, high-quality content, and global learning experiences at an affordable cost. When used effectively, technology can democratise access to education, offering urban-level opportunities to students across Bharat’s heartland.

EdTech platforms can deliver digital libraries, structured lesson plans, interactive content, and exposure to 21st-century skills including creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving, and financial literacy. Regionally tailored content—available in multiple Indian languages with culturally relevant examples—ensures inclusivity and better comprehension. Digitised resources can be updated quickly and accessed instantly, ensuring students receive current and engaging learning material.

Hybrid learning models will play a crucial role in blending the strengths of in-person and online education, creating sustainable, flexible learning systems. With affordable devices and widespread internet access, learning anytime and anywhere is becoming a reality—helping break social norms and barriers that once limited educational access.

EdTech also has the potential to strengthen the teaching workforce. Remote training modules, aligned with NEP 2020 and NCF 2023, can upskill local teachers and equip them to deliver competency-based education. Personalised learning tools can help bridge existing gaps in student understanding, ensuring that no learner is left behind.

Partnerships between EdTech providers and governments can accelerate progress, scale impact, and advance the mission of equitable education for all.

EdTech is more than a tool—it is a catalyst for equity and empowerment. By making quality learning accessible to millions, regardless of geography, it can transform India’s demographic advantage into a global knowledge powerhouse. The country’s future doesn’t lie only in metro cities but in its most remote corners, where dreams are vast and opportunities are ready to be unlocked.

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