Page 63 - EW FEB 2022

EW SPOTLIGHT FEATURE
“Huge potential for online schooling”

Santosh Kumar, Co-founder & CEO and Yeshwanth Raj Parasmal, Co-founder & Director
share the aims and objectives of 21K School, India’s #1 online school.

What is the future of online learning and what
opportunities do you see in the Indian market for
21K School to evolve?
The concept of online school is relatively new. India is a very
large market especially in the K-12 space — the second largest
worldwide. We are aware that online schools cannot fully replace
physical schools but there is growing need for schools that offer
personalised, flexible learning. Especially for students in small town
India with limited access to quality teachers. We have discerned a
large number of students whose parents need to frequently move Santosh Kumar Yeshwanth Raj Parasmal
cities because of job requirements. Such students can easily sign
up for online schooling. Apart from being a safe environment from personalisation of lesson plans. We also have an extensive digital
the perspective of corporal punishment and bullying experiences of library with 800 plus titles and a VR lab for interactive learning
physical schools, we believe online schooling is a more convenient practicals for science classes. Last but not the least, our live
option for students with physical disabilities as well. Moreover, we classes recordings are available through the year.
understand a large number of parents residing in metro cities are
concerned about high cost of education. With online schooling, that What about the classes in 21K School? Is it
cost comes down drastically. For e.g., our average fees for the In- self-paced learning or group sessions or a
dian curriculum is Rs. 40,000 only which is half the cost of uniforms combination of both?
and transport alone. So, it’s a huge advantage in terms of quality of Our classes compare to those offered by any neighbourhood
education, accessibility, transparency, convenience and the flexibility school. We have live classes, we conduct PTMs, morning
it brings in. We believe online schooling is here to stay in India and assemblies, we celebrate festivals, and even have a house system
worldwide. to encourage students to participate in inter-house competitions,
and conduct regular assessments and term-end exams. Only the
What curriculum do you follow in 21K School? mode of education delivery in this physical school replica is online
We follow a curriculum aligned with the national curriculum by using laptops and engaging technology. Contrary to common
framework that all schools in India are mandated to follow. Moreover, perception, it is much easier to connect to classes in an online
we are also a centre for Pearson Edexcel curriculum. We offer the school. You can walk into the classroom with just one click and
British curriculum under the Edexcel programme, and the American communicate with teachers and hold PTMs on demand, you can
High School Diploma accredited by Cognia, USA. through our access your child’s performance on a regular basis and since we
partner Stride Learning, also keep recordings of classroom sessions, there’s 100 percent
assurance of the quality of teaching.
What is the unique feature of your school?
Ours is a technologically-driven new age school. Children easily log What is the future roadmap of your company for
into class from home without undergoing the stress of an average the next five years? Please also share any short-
five-hour daily commute to and from school. Online school allows term plans you may have.
children free time to pursue their passion be it coding, sport, art, Currently, we have 3,500 students, we are looking to grow to
dance or music. In effect, online schooling has dismantled the 30,000 students by 2022-23. I believe there’s huge potential for
factory model of school education. Secondly, online schooling is online schooling and we want to address the growing needs of
defined by transparency and a data-driven approach. New age parents for personalised and flexible learning models in India
technologies usage enables teachers to better assess students’ and abroad. There are an estimated 1.8 million NRIs/PIOs living
learning outcomes in real time. Students’ performance is tracked outside India. The cost of education abroad is very expensive
on a regular basis to ensure every child in 21K School crosses the especially in cities like Dubai. If we can offer an Indian curriculum
minimum learning levels and can continue to learn and grow. online at affordable fee structures to children of such parents, we
We use AI for providing differentiated learning paths for each will be doing them a great service. It is our constant endeavour to
student based on the child’s academic progress. Learning nuggets offer a varied choice in curriculum and teachers have always been
are generated to ensure that the child is challenged and constantly fundamental to our school. So we bring in the best teachers from
growing in his understanding of each concept ensuring flexibility and around the world along with the best-in-class learning technology.

EDUCATIONWORLD FEBRUARY 2022