Basil Ali is the Co-founder & COO of Edumpus. He spoke to Digital Learning about the growth of digital education.
Tell us about your brand.
Established in 2019, Edumpus is a social communication platform designed to simplify communication between educational universities, students and consultants. It aspires to emerge as a connecting bridge between institutions and students from across the globe and create a truly global outreach that shall not only help the students in making well-informed decisions that are best for their academic careers but also provide an efficient way for institutions to leverage their resources to pursue good students without making it an exhaustive process.
The tech-enabled SaaS platform provides a multilateral user- generated communication channel between educational institutions, students, and other key stakeholders. It is increasingly clear that there is a need for Artificial-Intelligence technology in the student recruitment process – given the fact that it is a data-rich environment but highly unorganised, which is where Edumpus comes in. It uses Artificial Intelligence to understand the student preferences and then suggest courses and colleges based on the responses. The company currently has a huge portfolio of 500+ institutions, 50,000+ programs from more than 15 countries across the globe and a strong educational consultant network of 1000+ from different parts of the Indian subcontinent, South Asia & MENA region. Edumpus’ mission is to harness technology and artificial intelligence to create products and services that are gold standard, eventually enabling the global educational community to cut down on information overload and simplify each and every educational transaction.
Do you think the digitalization of education has helped in the globalization of education and shrinking the borders?
The pandemic has acted as a catalyst to digitize education and take it global. The digitalization of education has provided opportunities to people sitting in any corner of the world to access quality learning experiences from colleges and universities in US, UK, Canada, etc. Digital learning has boosted the demand for international studies considering the convenience and accessibility that comes with online education. This revolution in the education space has opened multiple avenues for the students to explore growth in different countries without crossing borders. Exposure to different cultures, people, learning styles, opportunities enriches the academic experience of a student from the comfort of his/her home.
What do you think would be the key factors for the growth of EdTech post-pandemic?
The EdTech sector is about to witness exponential growth for mainly two reasons – Affordability and Convenience. Major EdTech companies have witnessed more than 100% growth due to the growing demand for online courses and counseling services. In my opinion, the growing dependency of students on EdTech platforms for the convenience they provide to the students by being a one- stop-shop for all their academic needs at very affordable costs will provide the impetus for growth of Edtech platforms.
Do online mentorship programs have the potential to provide the best to everyone and hence bridge the socio-economic gap?
While the internet is the solution to all problems, it also creates confusion with the overload of information that it provides. Mentors help sort this information and provide guidance to find the best solution for the students’ academic dreams. Such programs help students make decisions based on their academic performance, interests and financial situation. The end goal is to get the best quality education with manageable or no financial burden. This will open diverse opportunities for students to boost their career growth and become financially independent.
