Ali Hasan
Just a few days ago, we had the news of Byju’s acquiring Aakash Institute for $1 billion and now we have the news of Amazon getting into the EdTech sector in India to make it even more competitive. It will now compete against the likes of Byju’s and Unacademy.
Amazon on Wednesday launched Amazon Academy, a service that will aim to help students in India prepare for entry into the nation’s prestigious engineering colleges.
It offers curated learning material, live lectures, mock tests and comprehensive assessments to help students learn and practice math, physics and chemistry and prepare for the Joint Entrance Examinations (JEE), a government-backed engineering entrance assessment conducted in India for admission to various engineering colleges in the country. About 2 million students take the JEE test each year.
Tests offered on Amazon Academy are “designed to mirror the JEE experience helping students understand the nuances of the examination. Students will also benefit from shortcuts, mnemonics, tips, and tricks, equipping them with the necessary tools to retain concepts and solve questions effectively,” the company said in a press note.
Amazon Academy, available via its website and as an app for Android and iOS, is free and will remain so for the “next few months,” the company said. “Amazon Academy aims to bring high quality, affordable education to all, starting with those preparing for engineering entrance examinations.
Our mission is to help students achieve their outcomes while also empowering educators and content partners reach millions of students. Our primary focus has been on content quality, deep learning analytics and student experience. This launch will help engineering aspirants prepare better and achieve the winning edge in JEE,” said Amol Gurwara, director, Education at Amazon India, in a statement.
Amazon Academy will help aspirants know where they stand with an All-India Rank for the respective mock test. It would assess their test performance through personalised reports highlighting chapter-wise time and strength analysis.
Aspirants will be able to gauge their progress and compare their performance with other JEE aspirants who have attempted the test in the same time slot on Amazon Academy. Students can track their progress over time, identify their strong and weak areas, and get detailed insights on the overall test-taking strategy.
All learning material and exam content has been developed by expert faculty from across the country. In addition to the JEE, those preparing for BITSAT, VITEEE, SRMJEEE, and MET exams will also benefit from the quality content resources available.
This move will enable Amazon to take on top EdTech companies such as Byju’s, Unacademy, Vedantu and traditional education institutes and tap country’s $180-billion education sector which has gone online to adapt to the new reality post covid.
The fight in the EdTech sector is about to get even more fierce and competitive. Only time will tell you will actually win.
