As edtech startups shift their focus to offline expansion, legacy coaching institutes are strengthening their online presence to keep up with the evolving education landscape. Offline test-prep giants such as Aakash, Vidyamandir, ALLEN, and Sri Chaitanya are scaling up their digital platforms to offer hybrid learning solutions, recognising that the future of education is omnichannel.
Aakash Institute, a dominant player in test preparation for over 36 years with a market share of around 13%, is investing `100 crore in digital initiatives over the next three years. The coaching major is integrating AI-powered assessment tools for students and tutors, leveraging real-time classroom data to analyse learning gaps and suggest focused interventions. “A lot of this investment will be cross-utilised between Aakash Digital and our brick-and-mortar classes, which we are now calling ‘phygital’ classrooms,” said Deepak Mehrotra, MD and CEO of Aakash Institute. “Our goal is to ensure that online attendance matches the high engagement levels of our physical classrooms. We are now preparing to launch a slew of AI-enabled products,” he said.
A Ficci survey highlights that 70% of students prefer a hybrid learning model, reinforcing the need for omnichannel offerings.
Despite its planned merger with Think & Learn not materialising due to regulatory hurdles at Byju’s, Aakash has absorbed a significant portion of Byju’s tech workforce, integrating their expertise into its growing digital framework.
Delhi-based Vidyamandir Classes is also ramping up its online vertical, which currently contributes 5% of the group’s revenue. “Online holds significant potential,” said Brij Mohan, co-founder of Vidyamandir Classes. “We have expanded our reach to major cities and launched Olympiad programmes for junior classes alongside JEE and NEET preparation courses.” He noted that online learning saw a surge in enrolments during the pandemic, and growth has remained strong since 2022 as students increasingly opt for flexible learning options.
Sri Chaitanya Educational Group launched its online platform, Infinity Learn, in 2021 to cater to students in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities who lack access to physical coaching centres. Today, the platform has 750,000 learners subscribing to premium content, with an ambitious target of crossing 1 million learners by 2025-26. “Infinity Learn ensures that students preparing for JEE and NEET receive structured and quality education regardless of their location,” said Ujjwal Singh, founding CEO of Infinity Learn. The platform offers AI-powered features such as real-time doubt resolution, knowledge graphs, and teacher assistance tools for personalised study plans.
Meanwhile, Kota-based ALLEN Career Institute has been expanding its online footprint through ALLEN Online, which currently has over 180,000 monthly learners. The platform provides personalised learning tools such as score boosters, custom quizzes, and generative AI-powered doubt resolution. In January 2024, ALLEN Online expanded its offerings to include Common University Entrance Test (CUET) test series for science stream aspirants. It also recently introduced free revision tools for students across India to aid in last-minute exam preparations.
Industry experts believe this shift will continue as offline coaching institutes capitalise on their vast in-house content libraries to scale up online. “Since these players have built content over the years through offline classes, their cost of content is effectively nil. This allows them to expand flexibly and seamlessly transition students from online to offline formats,” said Anil Joshi, managing partner at Unicorn India Ventures.