Exclusive Interview with Beas Dev Ralhan, CEO, Next Education

Pandemic has thrown the education system out of gear yet many students could get along with their disturbed academic pursuits. If not for Ed-tech companies catering to the gaping need for digital solutions in education, lakhs of students have been left directionless. Thankfully, Ed-tech companies like Next Education were here providing SaaS-based end-to-end solutions in a cloud environment. Analytics Insight has engaged in an exclusive interview with Beas Dev Ralhan, CEO, of Next Education.

1. Kindly brief us about the company, its specialization, and the services that the company offers?

Next Education is a leading EdTech solutions provider that caters to the K—12 sector with a unique blend of technology and innovative pedagogy. The company has empowered teachers and students in 10% of India's private schools since its inception in 2007. Today we cater to 12,000,000+ students and 240,000+ teachers in 18,000+ schools across the APAC and MENA regions.

We are a SaaS-based, end-to-end education solutions provider and have created technology-driven, user-friendly, and learner-centric products. Our state-of-the-art products are mapped to CBSE, ICSE, and 29+ other boards in multiple languages and are among the many products we have created to improve the learning curve of 21st-century learners. The company's products and solutions stand out because of features like CCE compliance, cloud-based data security, easy-to-use user interface, and remote accessibility.

The long list of products is incomplete without the NLP (Next Learning Platform). It is a cloud-based learning management platform that automates and streamlines a school's academic and administrative processes to ensure it is smooth running. It brings all the stakeholders of a school together and enables transparent and effective functioning through collaboration and interoperability. Through our Academic Partnership Programme, we help new and existing schools to provide world-class Education along with facilities of global standards. While existing schools benefit from smart classrooms, award-winning digital content, and interactive books, new schools receive all this along with assistance in establishing a great school with the best infrastructure.  

2. With what mission and objectives the company was set up? In short, tell us about the journey since the inception of the company?

Next Education was brought into existence with the vision to transform Education for the current and future generations of learners. We are constantly innovating and upgrading our products such that they can provide every student, teacher, and parent with optimal educational solutions.

Learning outcomes take center stage at Next Education. This way, we help learners with different needs and ensure they get the desired outcome without compromise. We can achieve these goals because transparency and reliability form the core of Next Education's value system.

Our first spark in revolutionizing Education came in 2009 with the launch of the intelligent digital classroom solution, TeachNext. The big break came in 2011 when three extensive school networks with more than 100 schools signed up for TeachNext. The same year, the company launched NextERP, a product to efficiently manage a school's administration. TeachNext was enhanced further in 2012 with the launch of NextLabs. This addition enabled children to gain a practical experience of the theory they learned in books. This was also the year the company reached a milestone with 5000 schools and 5 million students.

The next three years saw a growth in recognition and a host of awards and recognitions bestowed upon the company. During this time, Next Education also got empanelled by CBSE for teacher training and reached the milestone of 10,000 schools and 10 million students. In 2017, Next Learning Platform, the company's flagship learning solution, was launched.

The following two years laid the foundation for Next Education's international expansion with improvements to TeachNext and the Next Learning Platform. In 2019, Next Education Services LLC was founded in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 2020 saw Next Education support the world of Education during the pandemic through its remote teaching tool, Live Lecture, and the AI-based invigilation tool, Smart Exam Proctoring, while TeachNext was enhanced to support blended learning. The past year has been centered around our international expansion in the MENA region and the launch of Next 360, a comprehensive academic solution for schools. 

3. Mention some of the awards, achievements, recognitions, and clients' feedback that are notable and valuable for the company?

Next Education became a customer favorite just a few years after its establishment. The company received an award for being the best K-12 content for Maharashtra State Board in English and Marathi (Wistex World Education) in 2013. In the same year, we were applauded with an award for Excellent Human Resource Management in the Education Industry (National HRD Network) and Best Multimedia Content for K-12 Education (World Education Summit).

This marked the beginning of a series of awards for Next Education. In 2014, the company received more awards for the Best School Books (Global Learn Tech Conference & Awards) and Best Emerging School ERP (Digital Edge ICT Conclave on Education). Its ideas for new-age pedagogy were recognized and appreciated with the Innovation in Teaching Pedagogy Award (World Education Summit) and Innovation Excellence Award In Education (The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India) in 2015. Next Education's innovation in pedagogy continued to receive appreciation the following year too. The company bagged the Innovation in Pre-school Pedagogy (World Education Summit) in 2016.

There was no looking back for the company after this. 2017 brought the India-Africa ICT Excellence Award (India-Africa ICT Summit) for Next Education. The Pride of Indian Education Awards and AICRA honored the company with Most Trusted ERP Software Solution for School Management and Best STEM Product Supplier Award, respectively, in 2019. The company proudly won Best Classroom Tech Solution of the Year (Education Innovation Awards) in 2020.

4. Brief us about the proactive Founder/CEO of the company and his/her contributions to the company and the industry?

Beas Dev Ralhan is an alumnus of IIT Bombay and London Business School, a visionary and technology enthusiast with a mission of revolutionizing Education worldwide, and a scholar with an undying love for cricket. At Next Education, he leads a talented team and inspires them to create innovative solutions to energize Education so that every child's capacity for genius is identified, embraced, and nurtured. With his vision and passion for the company, he took Next Education to the top three digital education solution providers in India within a decade.

He started his career with a security and internet gateway solution start-up, joined other entrepreneurs on various e-commerce ventures such as internet cash card (www.lookforgreen.com), and developed his idea, a peer-to-peer betting site (www.betaday.com). He then joined PartyGaming as a developer and became Head of Research – Technology. He grew along with the company's growth from a start-up to an FTSE 100 company.

Mr. Ralhan had a flourishing career in the US too. He worked at marquee retailers such as Neiman Marcus, JCPenney, Target, FoodLion, and Polo Ralph Lauren to implement Master Data Management and multichannel commerce strategies. Working in countries worldwide gave him the exposure and experience of working with multicultural, multinational, and multilingual teams.

5. Tell us how your company is contributing to the AI/ML industry of the nation and how the company is benefiting the clients?

Next Education has played a vital role in helping schools transition from offline to online academic operations through the Next Learning Platform. It is a SaaS-based platform that ensures the best virtual teaching and learning experience. It is loaded with AI-driven features to assess and invigilate students and help teachers keep abreast of each student's academic progress.

NextAssessment, for instance, is a powerful AI-based tool in the platform that allows teachers to create assessments using an automatic assessment generator, assign adaptive tests and give personalized feedback to students. NextAssessment helps all types of learners to flourish with adaptive assessments that adjust to the learning needs of individual students. It analyses students' knowledge with the Smart Concept Test based on Item Response Theory, which determines the concept-level understanding of a student in a particular chapter, and the Smart Revision Test Based on Knowledge Space Theory, which gauges a learner's ability to understand an entire chapter by linking various concepts within it.

Teachers can use Learner Tracking to identify students' learning gaps, give more time and personalized attention to those who need it, and assign remedial action plans to them. It is a perfect solution for accurate and in-depth teaching and learning.

6. Kindly mention some of the significant challenges the company has faced till now?

The pandemic was the biggest challenge faced by the organization. Not only was the world in a state of panic and lockdown, but also in an uncertain situation and the forced adoption of remote learning put tremendous pressure on delivering a remote teaching tool.

Our teams burnt the midnight oil for many weeks to come up with Next Learning Platform's maiden online teaching tool, Live Lecture. To adapt it to the Indian diaspora, we had to ensure it consumed less data than the prevailing free apps on the internet while simulating a premium classroom-like experience for teachers and students.

7. What are the growth plans for the next 12 months?

In line with the company's vision to make education accessible to all, our next product, Next360 will be a turnkey schooling solution by Next Education that caters to all the stakeholders of a school. Its offerings include a cloud-based digital platform to manage the school's academics and administrative processes, an integrated curriculum mapped to the school's syllabus, including academic kits and 7,000+ hours of award-winning digital content, and a supplementary self-learning solution for students.

Next Education is focused on going global. The company rapidly expands in the Middle East and has established its foothold in Africa. We are in talks with the governments of multiple countries to implement our flagship platform, the Next Learning Platform, in public schools across the MENA region.

8. What is the company's edge over other industry players?

Next Education is India's only full-stack B2B company. It is also an end-to-end education solutions provider with a responsibility towards the K—12 sectors deeply ingrained in its belief system.

Our products and solutions are designed to impact every aspect of a school's functioning — smoothening operations, increasing management efficiency, and thus enhancing productivity. Coupled with our seamless academic integration, we are one step ahead in bringing the best possible solutions to schools and their students.

Whether product demos, equipment supplies, setups, or after-sales service, we are a proud provider of excellent services to all our stakeholders. Our unique combination of technology, pedagogy, content, and support sets us apart from other Edtech players.