The EdTech and smart classroom market in the MEA is expected to grow from US$ 3,565.0 million in 2019 to US$ 7,626.1million by 2027; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 9.8% from 2020 to 2027.
The market players in this region are constantly focusing on improving their offerings by adding advanced features and integrating various technologies. The adoption of devices such as smartphones, interactive displays, notebooks, and tablets in classrooms and students to offer an immersive and engaging teaching-and-learning experience is increasing rapidly across the world. In addition, the huge growth potential of EdTech industry and high competitive nature owing to constantly increasing number of EdTech startups are among the factors propelling the market players to differentiate their offerings by integrating advanced technologies such as augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and Blockchain among others. AR and VR are anticipated to be the largest revenue contributors to the education sector in the coming years as a large number of startups, receiving high venture capital funding, are entering into this field. Also, the growing capabilities of consumer devices to run high-tech applications that help in delivering immersive education delivery and learning experiences is further providing technology companies with an opportunity to innovate and offer solutions enabled with advanced technologies for improved and interactive customer experience. Also, the integration of these technologies democratizes education sector, reduces cost for students and education organizations, and allows continuous and uninterrupted learning process. All these factors are anticipated to drive the demand of education technology solutions based on AR, VR, and AI technologies, which would fuel the growth of the MEA EdTech and smart classroom market from 2020 to 2027.
In terms of component, the software segment is expected to register a higher CAGR in the MEA EdTech and smart classroom market during the forecast period. The EdTech and smart classroom software assist in reporting; conducting training programs; delivering educational courses, and learning and development programs; creating assessments; and tracking classroom attendance. The software solutions also allow education institutes to offer personalized experience to learners. Software such as the learning management system, student information system, talent management system, and classroom assessment system are gaining popularity in the education sector since they have potential to replace the traditional classroom teaching method. As schools and colleges are readily adopting smart solutions to make classrooms more joyful and interactive, prominent players in the EdTech and smart classroom market are investing high amounts in the production of these effective and cost-efficient software. For instance, IBM Corporation offers education solutions with cognitive technology that support students and teachers to enhance outcomes from students. Its solutions surge research capacity, personalize learning, and enhance operations.
The MEA includes countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, and South Africa, among many others. As per UNICEF publication “MENA Generation 2030,” the region is anticipated to witness its most productive years from 2018 to 2040 owing to the growing potential of its demography. Presently, children and young people (of age <24) represent nearly half of the region’s population. This presents a huge opportunity for the EdTech and smart classroom solutions companies catering to schools, colleges, and universities in this region. The COVID-19 outbreak has had a severe impact on Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, South Africa, and the UAE. The pandemic has hindered the economic and industrial growth of these countries in the past few months. However, the shutdown of educational institutions has been driving the adoption of digital technology solutions in the education sector to facilitate uninterrupted teaching and learning processes.
The overall MEA EdTech and smart classroom market size has been derived using both primary and secondary sources. To begin the research process, exhaustive secondary research has been conducted using internal and external sources to obtain qualitative and quantitative information related to the market. The process also serves the purpose of obtaining overview and forecast for the MEA EdTech and smart classroom market with respect to all the segments pertaining to the region. Also, multiple primary interviews have been conducted with industry participants and commentators to validate the data, as well as to gain more analytical insights into the topic. The participants typically involved in this process include industry experts such as VPs, business development managers, market intelligence managers, and national sales managers, along with external consultants such as valuation experts, research analysts, and key opinion leaders, specializing in the MEA EdTech and smart classroom market. Apple Inc.; Blackboard Inc.; Cisco Systems, Inc.; IBM Corporation; Microsoft Corporation; Oracle Corporation; SAP SE; SMART Technologies are among a few players operating in the market in this region.