There has been a significant increase in the number of learners signing up on ed-tech platforms during the lockdown, say experts.

“There are two reasons for an increase in the number of learners — first, they have more time at their disposal right now and second, the economic scenario could change in the days to come so they want to upskill themselves,” said Hari Krishnan Nair, Co-Founder, Great Learning, an ed-tech company.

In February, the total number of users on the platform were around 4,000, and this will now touch 10,000 by March 31. While most of the visitors on the platform are working professionals, a greater interest from college students has been witnessed too, he added.

Digital marketing, cloud and cyber security, python for machine learning are some of the courses that have huge demand among the users.

Another ed-tech company, Simplilearn recently made 13 of its paid courses free for learners to increase its user base during this time.

“As a lot more time is available we made some of our courses free for the users leading to an increase in the number of free users. It might impact our revenue for a while but we think it will be beneficial for us in the long run,” said Krishna Kumar, Founder and CEO, Simplilearn.

For students

To help students with online self-study material, learning company Pearson on Monday launched ‘Quikik’, a new Artificial Intelligence-based math-learning app

“Considering the recent Covid-19 outbreak and its impact on education resulting in the shutting down of schools, classes etc., there is a dire need in the country for students to have access to online and digital learning solutions. For this reason, we believe that an app like Quikik, which is a fun and engaging way for students to learn Maths and allows them to practice concepts, clear their doubts learn from online tutors, all while being in the safety and security of their homes, is definitely welcomed,” said Ramananda SG, Vice-President, Sales and Marketing, Pearson India.

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