On Saturday Evening, Aarul Malviya, Founder of Zamit sat down with the TechGraph editorial team for a wide-ranging interview. We discussed Zamit’s journey, the use of technology in the educational space, and much more.
Read the complete interview here:
TechGraph: Could you help give a sense of how far Zamit has come since its existence? From when it began to where it is now?
Aarul Malviya: In the short period of our existence, we have made rapid progress. Having started from scratch, today we have over fifty thousand users registered with us.
TechGraph: What are the industry challenges you have observed that coerced you to jump into this space?
Aarul Malviya: Based on our research and conversations with educators across the country, we identified a few gaps in the current education system. While schools and teachers focus on academics and results, holistic development has been neglected.
In addition, there was no single-window solution provider in the education industry that addressed the needs of all stakeholders within the school ecosystem. It is a well-known fact that enhancing students’ technological skills is crucial and we found schools could not effectively support students in this area.
Furthermore, Continuous Professional Development to prepare teachers to teach 21st-century students is a challenge for most schools. So, while filling these gaps, we also realized that in this day and age of technology, there was no objective, researched measurement system that could analyze and support students as well as teachers to be future-ready.
As a result, we took a bold leap with Zamit Quotient or ZQ, our advanced and the world’s first AI-based future-readiness indexing system vastly improving upon the standard IQ, EQ, and SQ measurements. This skills analysis, supported by individual guidance, has been well received by all stakeholders.
TechGraph: Do you think AI-powered educational and skill development service providers can address the unsolved gap between the educational and teaching industry in India?
Aarul Malviya: Yes, certainly. AI offers universal access to quality educational content & tools at low costs. AI boosts multilingual education, and can significantly replace human intelligence, thus the emergence of AI-powered educational and skill development service providers can contribute a long way in bridging the gap in providing high-standard education across India.
TechGraph: What is the state of edtech platforms like this in the Indian market?
Aarul Malviya: Edtech platforms are growing, scaling up, and impacting lives like most online platforms. Even as there has been a substantial rise in edtech platforms in the country in recent years, most typically position themselves around offering learning and training programs which would include academic and non-academic courses, professional development courses, job upskilling courses, customized courses, and content and so on, largely delivered remotely.
Some of the target segments include those needing early school education, higher education, K12 supplemental education, language training, test preparation, vocational training, skilling, and upskilling. With an estimated market size of $700 to 800 million today, the Edtech industry is poised for an exciting future. We are encouraged by market trends.
TechGraph: How is Zamit leveraging technology to enhance the teachers’ and students’ experience?
Aarul Malviya: Based on its proprietary and path-breaking AI-driven indexing system accounting for more than 85 skills and consolidated under nine core dimensions, Zamit enables both teachers and students to assess and measure themselves realistically on their current skills, attitudes, traits, competencies, and abilities.
It helps them take an informed decision about choosing a certain specialization of course or field, and prepare for the VUCA world of the future. At the same time, given that technology will be an inevitable component of almost all jobs in the future, Zamit also enables students and teachers to improve their competencies in basic and advanced technologies.
TechGraph: With AI & Machine Learning adoption in the educational sector speeding up, how is Zamit going to capitalize on the same?
Aarul Malviya: Our products are largely AI-based and adaptive and with more users and data we will continuously fine-tune our algorithms (ML) which measure ZQ (future-readiness skills and attitudes) and the assessment of the English language. We are also constantly looking to develop cutting-edge and innovative offerings to support students and teachers on their journey to future readiness.
TechGraph: Do you see the current market as a zero-sum game between Zamit and your competitors or there is room for everyone to grow together?
Aarul Malviya: No, I do not think there is a zero-sum game. And this is for two reasons. First, the Indian market is large enough for each player to target, grow and prosper. And second, Zamit’s highly niche positioning with its unique product and service offerings sets it apart from other market players.
TechGraph: What are your plans for K-12 and new products and formats?
Aarul Malviya: We are already offering products for K – 12, these include educational engagements, English Language assessments, etc., and based on market need, we will continue to bring new products in the edtech domain. We also offer bespoke professional development programs for teachers both online and face-to-face.
TechGraph: Lastly, what does the future hold for Zamit?
Aarul Malviya: EdTech, AI, and ML are already very large markets growing rapidly in India and overseas. Currently, we are exploring entry into the UAE, with the United Kingdom being our next stop.