AI in education: Pradhan chairs roundtable with 10 Indian edtech founders at IIT Delhi
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan convened an AI-in-education roundtable with founders of 10 new-age Indian edtech startups at IIT Delhi. The session brought policymakers, academic leaders and entrepreneurs to one table to discuss practical AI adoption across schools, higher education and skilling, keeping the National Education Policy 2020 as the north star.
His message was clear: move from access to measurable outcomes. "Technology is a powerful instrument of empowerment and inclusion... the next phase must prioritise improving learning outcomes," he said, calling for AI-enabled, personalised, adaptive and student-centric models that keep affordability and equity front and center.
Why this matters for educators
- Shift from content to outcomes: It's not about more videos or apps-it's about measurable gains in learning and skilling.
- Personalisation at scale: Adaptive systems can meet students where they are, reduce learning gaps and speed up mastery.
- Equity by design: Tools must work in low-resource settings, local languages and underserved regions.
- Teacher enablement: AI should reduce busywork, surface insights and let educators spend more time teaching.
Key themes from the discussion
- Affordable, inclusive AI models for K-12, test prep, upskilling and language learning.
- Clear emphasis on student-centric, adaptive learning to drive real outcomes.
- Responsible AI use, with safeguards and pathways to scale impact nationwide.
- Focus on underserved communities-both access and efficacy matter.
The startups at the table
- Arivihan
- Fermi AI
- Khare AI Classes
- Seekho
- Speak
- SuperKalam
- Supernova
- Vedantu
- ConveGenius
- Virohan
What's next on the calendar
The roundtable preceded the Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave on 12-13 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi-bringing together senior policymakers, researchers, institutions and industry leaders to discuss AI's role in education at scale. Insights from these meetings will feed into the India AI Impact Summit, which will spotlight responsible adoption and practical pathways for scale.
Later in the month, the India AI Summit (16-20 February, New Delhi) is expected to feature global tech leaders including Jensen Huang, Sam Altman, Sundar Pichai, Dario Amodei and Cristiano Amon.
Practical takeaways for your institution
- Run a focused pilot: Pick one use case (e.g., adaptive practice in math or AI-enabled language feedback) and test with a single grade or department for 8-12 weeks.
- Define success upfront: Track baseline-to-post gains (scores, completion rates, time-on-task, teacher workload hours saved).
- Build teacher capacity: Offer short, hands-on PD on prompt quality, feedback review and classroom integration.
- Set guardrails: Draft a simple AI use policy covering data privacy, bias checks, and when human review is mandatory.
- Prioritise inclusion: Ensure tools run on low bandwidth, support local languages and offer offline or lightweight modes.
- Start with existing gaps: Use AI where it relieves pressure now-automated formative assessments, reading fluency checks, doubt resolution, and personalised practice.
- Co-create with vendors: If you pilot with a startup, agree on curriculum mapping, data sharing protocols and support SLAs.
Policy context and resources
The discussions are in line with the goals of the National Education Policy 2020-quality, equity and outcome-focused learning at scale. For reference, review the policy document here: NEP 2020 (Government of India).
For updates and broader context on national AI initiatives, see IndiaAI. For academic studies and methodological guidance, see Research.
Quote to carry into your planning meeting
"Earlier phases of educational technology focused on expanding access to learning content but the next phase must prioritise improving learning outcomes." - Dharmendra Pradhan
Optional next step for educators
If you're building faculty capability or shortlisting practical AI courses by role, explore curated options here: AI courses by job.
For guidance on designing effective, student-centered AI learning experiences, see Design.
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