The overhaul in the EdTech sector post-pandemic demands that coding is imbued into the K-12 syllabus.

The projected 2022 EdTech market growth has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic from US$2.8-3.2 billion pre-COVID to US$3.5 billion during COVID.

This change, while difficult, is an opportunity for schools to finally make some much-needed changes and reveals the need to prepare the K-12 population for future jobs that are imperatively going to entail digital aspects.

The Tech Panda spoke to Sharad Bansal, CEO and Co-founder of Tinkerly, an EdTech startup promoting coding skills and STEM education in the K-12 segment. The startup has become the first EdTech to start coding courses in Hindi with the intent of capturing higher numbers in coding. He noted:

“Coding as a part of school syllabi is a very good step. It provides students a chance to explore their creativity and bring out their true potential. Learning how to code is the most crucial skill that every young mind should be aware of. It is a necessity in this technology-driven world to know about coding, otherwise, it will be very difficult to keep up with the latest technology trends. Coding is a crucial skill that translates into diverse career paths and makes an individual more versatile.”

A Google and KPMG report, ‘Online education in India: 2021’, predicted that the market would grow around nine times to hit US$1.96 billion this year. Parents are tuning into the demands of the times and are seeking that their children have some coding exposure before they face real challenges.

Bansal also noted that the tremendous growth in the EdTech market is the result of increased awareness of online learning in addition to the ease of access to a large pool of useful Internet resources.

“Parents also realize the future possibilities of digital platforms. Thus, they are open to the idea of educating their children in a course curriculum that goes beyond academics. Parents do not want to compromise on their children’s education and have even considered spending on neo-academic subjects like coding and robotics classes that go beyond the school curriculum and make their children future-ready.”

While it’s good that Indian parents see the merit of adding coding to their children’s courseware, there is a chance that not every child would want to code or may find it boring.