Indian edtech companies eye larger offline play in post-pandemic world

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

hybrid approach as the way forward in a post-pandemic world. Companies including Physics Wallah, Unacademy, BrightChamps, Vedantu, UpGrad and Simplilearn are either increasing or building their offline presence as students now want the best of both worlds – online and offline. The edtech sector scaled record highs during the pandemic as education moved online, but has since been among the worst affected in terms of funding and layoffs, particularly in the tuition, K12 and test-prep segments.

Edtech companies say the return to pre-Covid normalcy has spurred renewed interest in offline learning, driven by the desire for social interaction and direct teacher-student engagement. However, the digital shift catalysed by the pandemic is here to stay, as learners continue to seek the flexibility and accessibility offered by online education. Edtech unicorn Physics Wallah says it has embarked on a strategic expansion to establish technology-enabled offline centres.

It currently has 63 centres in 34 cities across India. “These centres accounted for 40% of our revenue this year. In 2023-24, we anticipate substantial growth in our offline operations as we expand to more centres by next year…,” Physics Wallah Offline chief executive Ankit Gupta told ET.

“We firmly believe that the future of education lies in a blended approach.” Live-learning edtech platform BrightChamps’ offline offering is currently concentrated in the form of next-gen labs that are set up in schools through a vertical it launched in April this year. In terms of standalone offline centres, it has one BrightChamps Next-Gen Hub in Vietnam and is looking to open several more across key geographies this financial year. “Setting up offline infrastructure takes time.