Varthana Finance Private Ltd., India’s largest education-focused non-bank financial company (NBFC), has recently announced its collaboration with Eupheus Learning, one of the largest school-focused distribution platforms in India with a reach of over 20,000 schools to launch the 21st Century School Operating System (OS) Express for affordable private schools across the country. According to an official statement, the OS Express aims to simplify the lives of all stakeholders in the education system, including students, educators, and parents.
The pandemic witnessed thousands of school students dropping out, and this was driven by inefficient and seamless communication between school administration and the parents’ community. This became a black box for schools during an absolute lockdown, impacting fee collection and eventually leading to revenue losses for the schools.
Under the partnership, the 21st Century School OS Express facilitates the digitization of affordable private schools in India in Tier 3 and Tier 4 towns. The integrated OS offers four modules: ‘communication management’, ‘fee management’, ‘school and student profile management’, and ‘21st Century Skills‘, benefiting all stakeholders. With the help of Eupheus Learning, all Varthana partner schools will have access to the OS Express, the statement further mentioned.
Speaking on the collaboration, Co-founder of Eupheus Learning, Amit Kapoor, said:
Education is the foundation of our future. At the same time, technology is an enabler, and it is our responsibility to ensure it is accessible to all. Considering this, we are excited to announce the 21st Century School OS Express launch. This platform allows affordable private schools to digitize their operations and make life easier for all stakeholders. With seamless communication between schools and parents and a digital databank, we ensure that education remains a top priority, even in lockdown-like scenarios.
Through its single sign-on feature, OS Express enables school administrations to establish seamless communication with parents, maintain an active data bank of students with their relevant academic information, and provide live updates on pending dues. The delight over and above is that this OS Express unlocks a digital library of books for students to access and read at their convenience, aiding the reading habits of young learners.
Headquartered in Bengaluru, Varthana started in 2013 and has a presence in 15 states and 40 branches across India to transform affordable education in India. The platform supports affordable private schools and students with affordable school loans and education loan finance options. Its loans are custom-built to suit the wide range of projects that help school leaders unlock their school’s potential, as well as for college-going students to achieve their educational goals. It aims to understand and address school leaders’ daily challenges and help them realize their full potential. It also supports students in excelling in their studies and achieving their dream careers.
Co-founder & CEO of Varthana, Steve Hardgrave, added:
We are passionate about helping schools access financing and the resources they require to serve their students better. We are thrilled to partner with Eupheus to make 21st Century School OS Express available to our partner schools, especially those in tier 3 and 4 towns, where access to digital resources can often be challenging.
The initiative comes when the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 mandated the digitization and automation of schools in India. There is a huge need for tools and techniques to do it efficiently.
Co-founded by Sarvesh Shrivastava, Ved Prakash Khatri, and Amit Kapoor, Eupheus Learning is focused on bridging the gap between in-classroom and at-home learning by offering pedagogically differentiated technology-led solutions in the K–12 space. The courses are provided for subjects like English, mathematics, EVS etc.
Last year in February, Eupheus Learning announced its acquisition of SchoolMitra, a software-as-a-service (SaaS)-based platform, for an undisclosed amount. In 2021, the company raised $4.1 million in Series B funding led by Kuwait-based United Education Company and Al Rayan Holding Company for domestic and international expansion. In the same year, it also raised $10 million (Rs 73.7 crore) in Series C funding from private equity firm Lightrock India.
