An interview with Arun Prakash, Founder & CEO of GUVI, a dedicated platform that offers coding and technical education in vernacular languages
In today’s exclusive interview, we have the pleasure of speaking with Mr. Arun Prakash, the visionary Founder and CEO of GUVI.
As the driving force behind this IIT-M incubated EdTech startup, Mr. Prakash has revolutionized online learning with innovative solutions that earned GUVI a Guinness World Record.
His remarkable journey reflects a commitment to educational excellence and technological advancement.
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind founding GUVI? What gaps in the tech education landscape did you aim to fill?
Arun Prakash: The vision behind the formation of GUVI is inspired by the gap in accessible, high-quality tech education, particularly for non-English speakers in India.
Presently, the global ed-tech domain is witnessing a robust expansion with a CAGR of 20%, and with GUVI’s localized learning offerings, the firm is expected to witness astounding growth soon.
Its inclusive and innovative modules mark a transformation of the status of formal tech education in India, aligning precisely with its tagline “Learn to Code in Your Native Language.”
The present state of technological education in India is highly dependent on dominant languages. However, if we look at the present state of comprehending dominant languages among the Indian population, less than 10% of it is fluent in English and of the estimated 55 lakh IT professionals in India, only 4-16% are fluent in the language.
GUVI exists to fill in this gap by highlighting the need to implement vernacular language-driven tech education in India to supplement the country’s technological growth.
GUVI focuses on providing technical education in vernacular languages. What motivated you to choose this approach, and what impact do you believe it has had on your learners?
Arun Prakash: Prominent educationists and cognitive scientists have long stressed the importance of implementing vernacular language-based teaching methods, which are proven to have a favorable outcome in ease of comprehension among learners.
This idea came to me more than a decade ago, when I was visiting my alma mater in Madurai, Tamil Nadu. What I witnessed was students aspiring to learn more of their trade, but being restricted severely owing to their partial comprehension of technological curricula, based in dominant languages.
That day, I decided to help these students with the industry knowledge that I had by simplifying through a vernacular language-based method, and GUVI was born with the help of my co-founders.
Since 2014, when GUVI was established, we have been able to reach and impact learners from diverse linguistic communities across India. GUVI presently offers tech courses in 9 Indian and 4 foreign vernacular languages and has helped over 3 million learners.
Our comprehensive courses have helped 72% of learners to complete their courses in only three months, and 84% of students to gain a better understanding of complex topics. The impact we have made is self-explanatory if we are being honest.
GUVI offers coding and technical education across multiple vernacular languages. How do you ensure the quality and consistency of the educational content across these different languages?
Arun Prakash: Over the years, our focus has been on capabilities rather than degrees. This has been extended to our highly capable in-house team, where veteran industry professionals with significant experience have been spearheading our efforts to ensure the quality and consistency of educational content across languages.
These experts are a critical part of our strategy to ensure the quality and consistency of our courses to our learners. These subject-matter experts focus on mentoring our young learners through customized learning strategies and industry knowledge.
This unique strategy has helped GUVI to reach more than 30 lakh students since 2014. Furthermore, we keep updating the syllabus and modules according to the industry needs.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced while scaling GUVI, and how have you addressed them?
Arun Prakash: We started GUVI with a dream, as well as a mission to empower millions of learners across India. As we scaled, it became necessary to collaborate with conventional educational institutions to lend our expertise to implement a vernacular language-based tech education system.
Initially, it was difficult to convince colleges to incorporate our courses in their syllabus, later we managed to provide placement assistance which was an icebreaker with colleges. The boom in online education during the pandemic and afterward was also a pivoting point in GUVI’s journey.
In the tech education space, competition is growing. How does GUVI differentiate itself from other platforms, and what are your strategies for maintaining a competitive edge?
Arun Prakash: The primary differentiating factor that separates GUVI from its industry peers is the premier educational courses we provide along with the unwavering consistency. We are the first organisation in the industry that provides tech education in vernacular languages.
While other organizations have followed in our path, we remain the best in this aspect with courses offered in 13 languages.
Furthermore, GUVI addresses diverse challenges in skill development, K-12 tech, placement preparation, self-paced courses and credit courses among others that make us a distinct presence in the domain.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to enter the edtech or coding education space?
Arun Prakash: The EdTech domain is booming around the world, not just in India. There is more than enough space for everyone in this burgeoning domain, and I welcome more entrepreneurs to join and explore the market in a collaborative effort to transform the education domain for the better.
The opportunities here are infinite, and through the inclusion of more innovative and original ideas, I believe it will help all of us to supplement each other productively, establishing a robust education infrastructure digitally which will benefit millions, if not billions of learners around the world.
Mr. Arun Prakash’s insights reveal the transformative power of combining education and technology. Under his leadership, GUVI has not only set records but has also redefined online learning.
His passion and innovation continue to inspire and shape the future of education, making today’s discussion a glimpse into the evolving landscape of EdTech.
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