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How AI is activating step changes in Indian education

AI in education is driving changes like personalized teaching, multi-lingual and differential learning, and real-time assessments.

In brief

  • By taking up administrative tasks, Indian edtech companies are using AI to help teachers focus more on high-value activities such as lesson planning, personalized curriculums and reading material suggestions.
  • Edtech players continue to bridge learning gaps with the help of AI teaching tools such as regional languages and differences in the learning capability spectrum.
  • The government of India is committed to building the future of education by harnessing the capabilities of AI at the school, college and university levels.

The government of India’s education vision for Viksit Bharat 2047 is to create an inclusive, high-quality education system for skill development and life abilities. India has 1.5 million schools, more than 8.5 million primary and secondary teachers and more than 260 million enrolments into the school system every year. In the higher education space, more than 40 million students enrol in more than 1000 universities and 42000 colleges annually.  However, the Indian education system is characterized by fixed curriculums, archaic education delivery models and static testing concepts. This has caused a gaping chasm between education and contemporary work skills. The advent of AI, however, has changed things. It is helping the system move away from standardized to personalized, making it relevant and effective for the present.

AI has taken seriously long strides to alter every aspect of the system– from curriculum to test delivery. In the race for skilling for Viksit Bharat 2047, these step changes are causing a paradigm shift and helping Indian education come at par with global systems. We look at some of the biggest shifts.

Focus on high-value activities for teachers

The most immediate impact of AI in teaching has been in streamlining administrative tasks. AI tools for Indian teachers which automate repetitive tasks like grading assignments, attendance tracking and maintaining student records, allow them more time to engage with students and improve lesson delivery. Lesson planning and curriculum design is also undergoing radical shifts, with teachers utilizing AI to design lesson plans tailored to specific curriculum standards or student needs. For example, Indian edtech companies have developed solutions where learners get self-generated quizzes and tests during lessons based on deep understanding of a student’s areas of struggle. They also suggest additional options such as supplementary reading materials in real-time. This level of personalization also allows teachers to view dashboards of specific developmental areas of focus of each individual student. Edtech platforms are continually pushing the envelop as to how to equip teachers with better real-time intelligence and teaching aids. We will continue to see more innovation in this space in 2025.

Bridging differential learning paths

AI is helping educators unlock talent in differential learning paths who may typically have unrealized potential. AI for multilingual education is helping students bridge learning gaps from language difficulties. Development of voice-based learning models in local languages is on the rise. A stream of companies are continually working to enrich datasets in Tamil, Telegu, Hindi and other such Indian languages. This is helping students bridge language gaps by offering lessons in local languages or learn new languages effectively. Learners also have access to GenAI tools which can adapt to dialectal differences, enabling more inclusive education. Tools like Duolingo for Autism use AI to develop personalized lesson plans, providing immediate feedback and designing engaging learning activities. With respect to special needs education with AI, the capability to create customized content that aligns with their abilities is turning out to be a gamechanger. Auticare, an innovation by ISTI, under the Dept. of Science and Technology, GoI, is an assistive technology learning platform which uses different virtual reality scenarios based on applied behaviour analysis to assist learners with autism.

Adaptive learning

AI’s adaptive learning abilities have a big impact on education delivery. Leading Indian edtech platforms are continually looking to utilize AI’s adaptivity to analyse student performance and suggest tailored learning experiences to address specific areas of improvement. Edtech solution development is presently focused on using AI/GenAI to analyse learning patterns, strengths and weaknesses in the form of intelligent and interactive platforms. Leading adaptive systems can adjust difficulty levels dynamically, ensuring students remain engaged without feeling overwhelmed. They also create diverse content types, such as videos, infographics and quizzes to cater to different learning styles. 

Policy-level initiatives for AI inclusion

Government of India’s New Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasizes the integration of AI curriculum at all educational levels and aims to equip students with skills like digital literacy, coding and computational thinking. CBSE introduced AI as a subject for students in classes IX to XII, and has also partnered with IBM to launch the SkillsBuild Program, which includes orientation sessions on generative AI. In collaboration with Intel, CBSE has also developed an AI Facilitator Handbook which provides educators with comprehensive training materials and real-life examples. From the 2025-26 sessions, the CISCE board has introduced robotics and AI as part of its curriculum. AI/GenAI features prominently in the curriculum of India’s top business schools, including the IIMs and ISB. 

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Opportunities to learn from other countries

 

China is making substantial investments and offering tax incentives and other motivators, in tools like the adaptive tutoring platform Squirrel AI which leverage extensive datasets and camera surveillance to enhance performance on standardized tests. Finland has taken a bold national step towards AI-driven education by providing free online coursework for its citizens. Approximately 50% of schools have adopted the ViLLE platform, which offers instant feedback and analytical insights on student assignments to both students and teachers. South Korea is making significant investments in the education of its students. The country's goal is to incorporate AI coursework into its national curriculum at all grade levels, with the initiative set to begin at the high school level by 2025. Singapore is a leader in the use of technology in education. The government has invested heavily in AI for education and Singaporean schools and universities use GenAI extensively. 

 

The article was first published in Lesson: How AI is activating step changes in Indian education, ET Education

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    Summary

    The Indian government’s National AI for All strategy emphasizes its willingness to learn from the best in the world on recent technology developments in AI. With this AI policy in India, the education sector can significantly benefit by learning from other countries. The government has also shown rightful intent to remain flexible toward the evolutionary nature of AI powered education and its potential to impact education in India. 2025 promises to be an inflexion year for Indian education with paradigm shifts led by AI.

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