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The balance between technology and human touch in education and how teachers are adapting to these changes
Mumbai: I wish to begin with a thought-provoking question: Can technology and AI replace teachers? Technology will not replace teachers who use it judiciously to enhance their teaching skills
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted learning environments and classrooms in early 2020, compelling many schools to transition to distance learning. The widespread adoption of technology to connect students and teachers during this crisis accelerated trends that were already in motion
Over the past few decades, and especially due to COVID-19, learning spaces have undergone a significant transformation. In both face-to-face and online settings, educators have witnessed a profound evolution at the intersection of teaching and technology.
Technology-Enabled Classrooms
In traditional brick-and-mortar classrooms, the introduction of smart boards and other interactive display tools has allowed teachers to bring their lessons to life, fostering a more engaging and dynamic learning environment. These technological advancements have enabled educators to illustrate complex concepts through multimedia, simulations, and video graphics, helping students comprehend and apply information firsthand.
The role of the teacher has shifted from being the sole disseminator of knowledge to a facilitator who guides students through interactive and visually stimulating educational experiences
The New Role of Teachers in the Tech Age
New classroom technologies, management tools, and collaboration tools are significantly enhancing teaching experiences. HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills) and LOTS (Lower Order Thinking Skills), central to the Birla Open Minds Curriculum, combined with technology, improve learning outcomes by allowing students to problem-solve, analyze, and become digital natives while maintaining a balanced human approach and sustainable use of resources.
The benefits of embracing technology are evident. As teachers integrate technology, their administrative tasks have lessened, and technology has become an effective enabler for creating content, lessons, and curriculum materials. This integration helps teachers understand and address the learning needs of their students more effectively.
Teachers are now able to monitor more students simultaneously, assign lesson plans that students receive when ready, and share actionable content through a network of technology-enabled tools, both in the classroom and at home.
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Inshorts Group chief Deepit Purkayastha joins IAB video council for Southeast Asia and India
The co-founder and chief executive of the short-form content platform has been inducted into the IAB SEA+India Video Council, giving India a stronger voice in shaping digital video frameworks
NOIDA: India has long been the world’s most chaotic, multilingual and mobile-first digital market. Now, one of its most prominent short-video executives is getting a seat at the table where the rules are written.
Deepit Purkayastha, co-founder and chief executive of Inshorts Group, has been selected as a member of the IAB SEA+India Video Council for 2026. Run by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the council brings together senior leaders from Southeast Asia and India to shape standards, best practices and measurement frameworks for the fast-evolving video and digital advertising ecosystem.
The timing is pointed. According to the IAMAI-Kantar Internet in India Report 2025, over 588 million Indians are now consuming short-video content, with growth increasingly driven by rural and non-metro audiences. India’s active internet user base has crossed 950 million, with 57 per cent of users now coming from rural markets. Yet the frameworks that govern how video consumption is measured and monetised were largely designed for single-language, Western markets and have struggled to keep pace with the scale, diversity and complexity of India’s digital landscape.
Purkayastha is no stranger to these debates. He already serves on the AI Council at Marketing and Media Alliance India and as co-chair of the Digital Entertainment Committee at the Internet and Mobile Association of India. His induction into the IAB SEA+India Video Council extends that influence into the global video standards arena.
Inshorts Group sits squarely at the intersection of these forces. Its flagship product, Inshorts, India’s highest-rated short news app, reaches 12 million active users with 60-word news summaries. Its sister platform, Public App, reaches 80 million monthly active users across more than 700 districts and 12 languages, serving communities that most global platforms barely register.
Purkayastha said the opportunity was about building something more representative. “India today sits at the centre of the global video ecosystem, but the frameworks that define how value is created and measured have not always kept pace with the realities of our market,” he said. “Being part of the IAB SEA+India Video Council is an opportunity to contribute to a more representative and future-ready approach, one that accounts for diversity in language, context, and user intent.”
As a council member, Purkayastha will contribute to shaping regional standards across video advertising, measurement and platform governance, with a focus on frameworks that are native to India’s multilingual, mobile-first ecosystem rather than imported from global benchmarks designed elsewhere.
For years, India has been content to play by rules written for other markets. Purkayastha’s induction is a signal that it is done waiting to be consulted and ready to start writing them.
