Neetin Agrawal, a seasoned entrepreneur, angel investor, author, and former Senior Vice President at Toppr & Byju’s educational platform, takes us on a remarkable journey through the educational innovation that has left an indelible mark on India’s K-12 ed-tech landscape. Agrawal’s brainchild, the groundbreaking “2-Teacher Model,” now stands as the flagship of India’s largest ed-tech company, Byju’s, empowering millions of young learners.
In the early part of the last decade, India’s ed-tech industry was primarily focused on self-paced learning apps, videos, question banks, and test series. While these tools held promise with their potential for high gross margins, they faced a significant challenge in effectively engaging K-12 students and retaining their interest. Parents, who played a crucial role in decision-making for K-12 education, hesitated to invest in products that failed to captivate their children, leading to soaring customer acquisition costs.
Recognizing the need for a more interactive and engaging approach, Neetin Agrawal found an unexpected source of inspiration – McDonald’s. Drawing parallels to the fast-food giant’s ability to deliver consistent quality across its vast network of outlets, Agrawal conceptualized the “2-Teacher model”. The 2-two teacher entails approach involves the creation of high-quality video lectures delivered by master teachers, coupled with interactions with facilitators. These facilitators play a pivotal role in clarifying doubts, posing thought-provoking questions, and ensuring each student’s comprehension. This approach provides students with top-notch educational content through videos while offering personalized guidance—all while maintaining cost-effectiveness.
Commenting on his groundbreaking educational innovation, Neetin Agarwal expressed, “Celebrating innovation is about finding inspiration in unexpected places. The concept behind born from the belief that, just like McDonald’s delivers consistent quality across its outlets, education too can be made universally accessible and effective. The model has empowered students with the best of both worlds: top-tier educators and personalized guidance, all while keeping it cost-effective. Having witnessed the transformation in the Indian educational landscape, and the positive change it’s bringing to the lives of countless students, I couldn’t be happier.”
Agrawal initially introduced this innovative model in his ed-tech startup DronStudy in 2016. However, back then students had limited access to high-speed internet which hindered its widespread adoption. In 2019, with improved internet connectivity and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the product was relaunched and refined, yielding remarkable results. Students who previously struggled with passing board exams began achieving exceptional scores. In early 2021, Agrawal set up this “2-Teacher model in Toppr. Subsequently, post Toppr was acquired by Byju’s, this model became Byju’s flagship offering.
Today, numerous students benefit from this unique educational approach, which combines the expertise of master teachers with personalized guidance from facilitators, all thanks to Neetin Agrawal’s visionary leadership.
The model is not just any other innovation; it is a transformational force in India’s ed-tech landscape as many other ed-tech companies have launched similar models being inspired by the same. This offers promising accessible and effective education for millions of young learners. As we celebrate the journey of this groundbreaking model, it serves as a testament to the power of innovation and the impact it can have on shaping the future of education in India.
