Opinion | Out of lockdown: China’s edtech market confronts the post-pandemic world
- Pessimism about the future of online classes fades when it comes to non-curriculum learning
- Reliable internet connections in remote areas are still a problem, with half of the country’s rural areas not having web access last year
It’s no secret by now that 2020 was a good year for online education. Helped by widening lockdowns, China’s educational technology (edtech) market has grown 118 per cent from US$22 billion in 2018 to US$48 billion in 2020.
Such growth is impressive but facilitated by the temporary shock of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as user acquisition measures like free subscriptions. With these offers now expired, schools reopened, and new regulations on live tutoring, many companies are not expecting their dramatic user uptick to last and it’s causing some to shift gears.
One year ago, the general consensus among both the students and teachers we talked to was similar: online tools were an emergency tool of last resort. Students dropped their keyboards as soon as they regained access to offline classrooms.
“I don’t use online tutors because my high school is next to a really good tutoring centre,” said Chris Li, a high school student from Suzhou we spoke to.
While many prefer offline spaces, teachers have taken note of the new way to reach pupils outside usual class times. Whereas before they gave only homework, they now also ask students to take extra classes online.
