Amazon India announced on Thursday that less than two years after its inception, it would discontinue its online learning platform for students in the country’s high schools starting in August 2023. The Amazon Academy platform was launched in January of last year to assist students in their JEE (Joint Entrance Examination) preparation.
Those enrolled in the current academic session will receive a full refund, according to the e-commerce giant.
The platform was introduced at a time when virtual learning was experiencing a boom due to the coronavirus pandemic. The JEE exam, which grants admission to the best engineering colleges in India, was one of the competitive exams for which Amazon Academy provided coaching.
The largest online retailer in the world announced in a statement that it has determined to stop Amazon Academy “in a phased manner to take care of current customers” based on an assessment.
Customers will get access to the entire course material online for an additional period of one year, or until October 2024, according to the company.
For those preparing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) and Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), the company also partnered with the education group Sri Chaitanya to introduce full syllabus courses.
The winding down comes as numerous edtech companies are struggling to keep up with the demand as schools and coaching facilities reopen across India following lockdowns brought on by the coronavirus.
Byju’s, a key player in edtech, announced in October that it would layoff 2,500 employees as it works to become profitable. Earlier this year, layoffs were also announced by a number of other players, including Unacademy, Toppr, WhiteHat Jr., and Vedantu.