A game changer for Indonesia's education sector

FOR the past decade or so, the foray of the digital economy has hogged headlines around the world. Consumers and investors alike have been bowled over by the likes of Uber, Airbnb, WeWork and, closer to home, companies such as Gojek and Grab. These companies have unleashed not just new business models but also changed consumer behaviour in previously unimaginable ways. As underlying principles of the digital economy, commercial sharing and working gigs have become part of today's world.

But a new paradigm shift is underway, fuelled by the pandemic unleashed by Covid-19. Individuals, companies, industries and governments are waking up to the new reality of social distancing and work-from-home (WFH). Indeed, we may be seeing the start of another principle of the digital economy - physical isolation sustained by ongoing digital life. In times of crisis, people prefer to study, work and entertain themselves at home rather than venturing out. Call it "substituting the physical", another underlying principle, perhaps, of the digital economy.

According to research, the global pandemic is keeping well over a billion people inside their homes. This is impacting a range of industries, including the education sector as schools and universities remain shut and students are learning to learn online. Change is underway.