Chapter 14: Investigating the Online Education Market: A Comparative Analysis of Public and Private Ed-Tech

The COVID-19 pandemic induced pedagogical transformations. It led to the creation of virtual classrooms and diminished the role of teachers. This was pertinent both to developed and developing countries. However, what makes the Indian context unique is that the transformation has gone beyond just changes in the methods of delivering education. The National Education Policy 2020 facilitated the utilization of e-platforms and online education for learning. Thus, with the redefinition of pedagogy, there has been a change in the role of providers, and even the students’ role has been transformed. Hence, a market for ed-tech is constructed. This ed-tech market construction is examined through website analysis of a private ed-tech Coursera and a public initiative, SWAYAM. Following the analysis, the study draws from the Jongbloed (2003) framework and investigates the freedoms of the stakeholders. It argues that in an attempt to achieve the triple objective of affordability, flexibility, and excellence, there is likely a tradeoff between them.