One of 2020’s biggest frustrations was the abrupt halting of in-person K-12 and college education and moving everything online. Instructors struggled to master video tools and class attendance dwindled.

The edtech space, consequently, blossomed. Five of the eight $100 million and above funding rounds during April-September involved edtech firms. Decacorn Byju’s user base grew by over 20 million and Facebook-backed Unacademy is gearing up for strategic acquisitions.

In effect, the pandemic was to the edtech space what demonetisation was for mobile wallets.

Just as note-ban did not eliminate cash usage, online learning will not substitute the physical classroom. But it will contribute a sizable portion of the education sector post COVID-19, says Dr Shashank Shah, SAI Fellow'17, Harvard University. Newer institutions may introduce more online courses, says Jayan Jose Thomas, Associate Professor at IIT Delhi, creating opportunities in both the education system and the job market. Avenues will open up in small towns. Like co-working spaces, co-learning solutions to promote a sense of community may crop up.

Meanwhile, leading business-video players such as Zoom, Cisco’s WebEx, and Microsoft Teams are likely to move quickly to address the needs of the education market in 2021, too. (Microsoft also owns LinkedIn.) — Dipti Jain, George Anders