Advertisement

How edtech innovation could change global learning habits long after Covid-19

  • China tipped to lead global growth in use of technology in education to meet industry’s huge, untapped potential and surging demand sparked by pandemic
  • Experts at virtual Edventures Global Business Acceleration Summit call for change in mindset of educators and start-ups to offer more effective solutions

In Partnership With:Esperanza
Reading Time:7 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the global digitalisation of education, with advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence set to define the future of learning. Photo: helloabc/Shutterstock

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic it has become a necessity for millions of students to resort to online learning for the first time.

Advertisement

While education technology (edtech) businesses have responded rapidly to meet growing demand from educators and parents worldwide, this change in focus represents only a fraction of the industry’s overall expenditure.

Less than 4 per cent of the US$6.3 trillion spent on global education this year has gone on digital fields, HolonIQ, a global edtech intelligence platform, reported – highlighting the huge, untapped potential. Demand for the use of innovative edtech solutions will only continue.

China is tipped to lead the global development of edtech – an area with huge, untapped potential – after only 4 per cent of the US$6.3 trillion spent on education worldwide this year went on digital fields. Photo: Shutterstock
China is tipped to lead the global development of edtech – an area with huge, untapped potential – after only 4 per cent of the US$6.3 trillion spent on education worldwide this year went on digital fields. Photo: Shutterstock

China is poised to lead global growth in the edtech industry, Bill Ning, founding partner of Blue Elephant Capital – a Beijing-based venture capital investment company – told Hong Kong’s inaugural online edition of Edventures Global Business Acceleration Summit held from November 3 to 4.

Ning, who was one of the international experts and investors offering insights into edtech developments at the virtual event, also said Hong Kong was emerging as a major hub for edtech start-ups.

Advertisement