K-12 publishing: towards practical, meaningful and experiential learning!

K12 content has undergone changes quite a few times and now with the implementation of the New Education Policy 2022 (NEP) content is made more practical, meaningful and is incorporating learning by doing. Traditional methods of teaching have changed and there is more emphasis on day-to-day issues, giving of practical skill based knowledge and do away with rote learning.

Demand for books in regional languages…

Regional languages, where they are being taught, are in demand. Like in the state of Punjab, Punjabi is being taught in all schools from Class 1 onwards and there is demand for Punjabi text books but competition, high discounts and distribution remain a big challenge.

Changes in K12 content…

Our K12 contents are now more interactive and we lay emphasis more on doing rather than learning. We give examples from day-to-day experiences of a child’s environment in context to the material being taught to enhance the learning.

Technology in K12 publishing…

AI is being added to our content which is going be a big thing next. There is not much demand for e-books or digital content due to hardware availability issues in many schools.

Distribution model…

Our primary distribution model is: Direct contact sampling, through book shops and book distributors and direct sales tours to reach to schools for K12 books.

Challenges faced…

Frequent changes in the curriculum, education policy etc. has led to an increase in design and development costs for K12 books which are already in a very price sensitive market segment. This has affected our K12 business in terms of redesigning and re-development of K12 books accruing additional recurring costs which brings down our profit margins and the economic viability of K12 school text books publishing business and a big challenge.

Road ahead…

In future we see that many or perhaps even all schools will be instructed and compelled to go for only government published NCERT books for uniformity in teaching throughout India. Private publishers textbook publishing may take a downturn and with many schools now bringing out their own work books, teaching material and even text books, private K12 publishing is and will experience a loss of volumes and demand.