NEWS

Edtech sector companies have formed a collective — India EdTech Consortium — under the aegis of the industry body Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI).

NEED FOR SELF-REGULATION

• Move to self-regulate stems from growing concerns, which echoed in Parliament, that many edtech firms were indulging in various forms of business malpractices to attract consumers.
• The India EdTech Consortium has adopted a three-page code of conduct for their businesses. The code is an attempt to address the concerns raised by the government; most of the clauses allude to red flags that have been raised in the recent past.
• The companies — BYJU’S, Byju’s, Careers 360, Great Learning, Harappa, TimesEdutech & Events Ltd, Scalar, Simplilearn, Toppr, Unacademy, upGrad, Vedantu, and WhiteHat Jr among others — have claimed to have adopted the mantra, “what is told is what is sold”.
• Apart from stressing on transparency and warning against misleading ads, the code of conduct says the companies are expected to use legal terms of qualifications such as MBA, BBA, and others in ads only when it is compliant with guidelines issued by the UGC and AICTE.

WHAT IS ‘EDTECH’

• Combination of ‘education’ and ‘technology’.
• Mostly about using technological tools to improve learning outcomes and enhancing access