Empowering Students through the ONEST Revolution

Open Network for Education and Skilling Transactions (ONEST) is an interoperable, decentralized network that aims to democratise education and provide learners the opportunity to access a wide array of educational content and skill development prospects.

India, with its widespread access to low-cost, high-speed internet, smartphones, has made way for students to access education online. As per a report from KPMG, the Indian Edtech sector is expected to achieve a market value of $10,269 million by the year 2025.

However, the current online education system is not without its own challenges -

• Lack of Differentiation: An abundance of educational resources are available; however, content providers and educational platforms operate independently in their pursuit of customers which leads to repeated content with no differentiation.
• No Standardization: Independent platform management by educators leads to non-standardized course costs, burdening students with high commissions.
• Scholarship Struggles: Every year, a significant number of students in India discontinue their education primarily due to financial constraints. As these students leave school without acquiring basic skills, they face significant challenges in securing their livelihoods which results in loss of human capital.

ONEST has been developed to mitigate the above challenges within the existing fragmented educational landscape. The network's primary aim is to establish seamless and secure connections between providers of educational opportunities, including courses, training and scholarships, and individuals seeking access to these resources.

Here are several ways in which ONEST aims to bridge the education gap:

• Unified Education Platform: ONEST facilitates content providers with effortless integration to the open network, offering a comprehensive platform where a diverse range of subjects can be explored without the need to traverse multiple applications.
• Affordable Education: The network has the potential to foster exponential growth at significantly reduced costs, allowing content creators to offer courses at minimized expenses.
• Accessible Scholarships: ONEST is set to provide an essential link between educational institutions and individuals seeking scholarship and mentorship opportunities, thereby alleviating financial burdens and making educational aspirations achievable.
• Customised Learning: The network is poised to leverage customer data to enhance the quality of educational offerings for students.
• Career Enhancement: It will offer internships and skill opportunities to assist recent graduates in securing their livelihoods.

In the age of Digital Public Infrastructure, ONEST is another attempt to drive innovation, inclusion, and competition at scale, operating under open, transparent and participatory principles. The ecosystem currently comprises key players including ONDC as the network facilitator, EkStep as the network incubator, FIDE as the protocol partner and Protean as the knowledge partner.

Thus, ONEST ensures that every individual has equitable access to learning which can empower them to achieve their maximum potential and secure livelihood opportunities.

But one may ask, how to get on-boarded on the ONEST network? As ONEST’s trusted knowledge partner, Protean provides you technology solution that connects you to ONEST’s network. We invite you to embark on a shared journey of learning, collaboration, and contribution to the development of top-tier products, platforms, and networks. Together, we can collaboratively strive to ensure that education is accessible to everyone.

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~Authored by Kakoli Laha