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Polishing those black school shoes till you could see your reflection in their glossy, gleaming surface, the hustle and bustle of getting ready so you don’t miss the bus, the dread that marred your existence when you realised you’d forgotten a book at home and the teacher was not the lenient type, halls filled with echoes of “how was it?”, followed by passionate comparisons of answers after exams, and then running behind the bus as it left for home — these things were what childhoods were made up of.

Once upon a time, that is.

Now, laptops have replaced school books, and teachers don’t loom as large as they used to back in the day— they’re in tiny square boxes on the screen. The scratching of the pen against paper has been replaced by the clickety-clackety sound of keys being pressed, and you don’t really need to compare exam answers because Google is omniscient.

Edtech has changed not just education, but the very fabric of what constitutes a ‘childhood’.

In the history of India, never has education been as accessible as it is currently. Edtech has been a boon for tier III cities and lower, which had limited access to education, especially beyond school.

The sector also prevented what could’ve been a major upset for education during the pandemic years giving schools, institutions, and learners a platform to continue their educational endeavours.

The edtech sector, in 2021, raised a total of $3.94 billion across 155 deals, holding steadfast its number two position in terms of most investment raised.

And while, at the beginning of the year, it seemed like the trend was likely to continue, there have been a handful of upsets in the sector, such as layoffs and cost cuttings, especially as it grapples with the world seemingly going back to normal and educational institutions reopening.

The big question now is what’s next for edtech? How is the sector going to align itself in the new(er) normal, what sort of consolidation could happen in the sector, and what are some opportunities for new entrants to explore?

To answer these burning questions and more, YourStory is proud to present EduStars 2022 —  a virtual edtech conference on May 27, which will feature some of the most prolific experts in the sector.

We’ll be joined by the likes of Krishan Kumar, Simplilearn‘s CEO and founder; Nikhil Agarwal, CEO of IIT Kanpur; Mukul Rastogi, Co-founder of Classplus; and Wendy Hamson, Director of Commercial Sales for APAC at Udemy, among many others, who will throw light on developments in the sector and what the ‘powers that be’ are thinking about these days when it comes to edtech.

The one-day, uniquely curated virtual event will be followed by in-person meetups too where we hope to facilitate connections and even more learnings.

Come, join us, and let’s learn, together!