Amazon, the e-commerce giant, said on Thursday, that they would be shutting down the edtech, they are offering to the students, to assist them with their preparation for the entrance exams for Engineering.
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Amazon, the e-commerce giant, said on Thursday, that they would be shutting down the edtech, they are offering to the students, to assist them with their preparation for the entrance exams for Engineering.
When is the closure?
The closure of the educational platform is scheduled to take place in the month of August 2024. However, Amazon has also made sure that the students who have already enrolled themselves, in the current academic batch, would get their full fees refunded.
The employees of Amazon were briefed about the discontinuation plan, in the month of October, this year.
When was edtech launched by Amazon?
Amazon launched the edtech, Amazon Academy, in January 2021. It was offering courses to around 150 students, as reported by sources.
This move enabled Amazon to take on top edtech companies like Byju’s, Unacademy, Vedantu, and the traditional educational institutes of India.
This has further helped Amazon, hold the country’s education sector worth 180 billion Dollars.
An Amazon statesman said, “following an assessment, we have made the decision to discontinue Amazon Academy”. He further added, “we are winding down this program in a phased manner to take care of current customers”.
Statement of the director of the edtech of Amazon India
The director of education at Amazon India, Mr. Amol Gurwara, said “our mission is to help students achieve their outcomes while also empowering educators and content partners to reach millions of students”. Mr. Amol, however, will continue with his role as country manager at Amazon Kindle.
Amazon’s layoffs
It has to be noted that the decision to close the edtech platform, by Amazon, has come into the picture after the company laying-off employees, as part of the annual operating planning review process. The number of jobs that would be cut in India has not been specified by Amazon yet.
However, Amazon would make an attempt to absorb these employees, within different business units, and only those would be asked to leave, who won’t find a good fit anywhere.
The e-commerce giant has also ensured a job cut early in the year 2024, as also said by the Chief Executive Officer, Andy Jassy, last week.
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