Talent is everywhere, opportunity is not - A call to transform Indian education
South Korea, Finland, and Estonia are reimagining the classroom as a space where AI, AR, and data analytics converge to create customised learning experiences.
The global pace of technology-led educational innovation is at an all-time high. Countries like South Korea, Finland, and Estonia are reimagining the classroom as a space where AI, augmented reality, and data analytics converge to create customised learning experiences.
In South Korea, personalised AI tutoring adapts in real-time to a student’s progress, while Estonia is teaching coding as part of early education. These nations have embraced an education model that sees technology not just as an add-on, but as an essential component of learning.
Here, education isn’t only about covering curriculum; it’s about preparing students for a world shaped by AI; automation; and rapid and continual technological change. South Korea has implemented AI-based systems to adapt homework and assignments based on students’ educational levels and learning behaviours. Each child has a personalised AI tutor and access to an online learning platform, allowing teachers to focus on social- emotional needs and hands-on lessons. The objective is to transform schools that have traditionally emphasised memorization; and to empower them to provide personalised, deeper learning.
Singapore has announced a national initiative to build AI literacy among students and teachers. By 2026, Singapore plans to offer training in education for teachers at all levels. Finland, long admired for its high-quality education system and teacher-centric system, has embraced AI with a bold, national commitment to educating its citizens with free online coursework. Roughly half of the schools in the country use a platform that provides students and teachers with real-time feedback and analytics on assignments.
Also read: Soft Skills: The missing piece in employability
India’s Education: A Reality Check
India’s situation couldn’t be more different. Despite the vast numbers of talented students in our cities, towns and villages, the infrastructure to nurture this talent is patchy at best. With education funding lingering at around 4% of GDP from 2015 to 2024, India is underspending by global standards and is yet to reach NEP 2020’s 6% target. This shortfall has several consequences. Rural and even urban schools often lack access to the internet; digital devices are scarce; and many teachers do not have access to the modern technologies and resources essential to impart technology-enabled, multi-modal education.
Summing things up, talent is everywhere in our country, irrespective of geography or background, but opportunity isn’t. As the world accelerates forward, India stands at a crossroads, with an urgent choice: act decisively to modernise our education, or watch as generations of talent slip through our fingers.
Why Underfunding Education is a National Risk
The opportunity gap is not just an educational issue; it’s a national challenge. An underprepared, under-skilled generation translates into an economic disadvantage that ripples through every aspect of society. In a world increasingly reliant on digital skills and technological expertise, India’s young population could become its Achilles’ heel rather than its strength. Imagine a generation entering the workforce unprepared for the demands of the modern economy, struggling to find roles in an environment that has outpaced their education! The implications go far beyond individual livelihoods. Countries with modern, multi-modal educational systems are forging ahead as leaders across industries.
Bridging the Opportunity Gap: What India Must Do, Urgently
The path forward is clear but requires immediate and concentrated effort. Here’s what we need to do to make opportunity as universal as our talent:
1. Upgrade all school classrooms to deliver multi-modal education: The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2023 recommends multi-modal education to help students learn better. We must move from blackboards and traditional textbooks to multimedia-driven learning spaces designed for multi-modal learning.
2. Empower teachers with technology: Teachers are integral to classroom transformation. We must design and implement systems that empower and equip our teachers to move from lecture-based, book-based teaching that promotes rote learning, to a multi-modal form of teaching that delivers better learning. Integrated systems that incorporate AI, AR, and other interactive technologies into daily learning can be a game-changer in creating a digitally confident teaching workforce.
3. Embrace AI-driven, Personalised, and Immersive Learning: Every child is unique in the classroom. We have known this dictum for ages but have not been able to do anything about it in a 1:40 traditional classroom. Technology now makes it possible to personalise learning with personalised reading, personalised practice and personalised tutors who can augment the work of the teacher. Schools must adopt adaptive, personalised, and immersive learning resources to both serve content customised for individual student needs, and to help students better understand this content. This is in line with NCF 2023, which advocates for flexible curriculum frameworks that support individualised learning right from foundational education.
A Nationwide Responsibility: The Role of Stakeholders
Creating equitable opportunity for every Indian student requires a coordinated effort from multiple stakeholders. The government must lead with policies that give schools the autonomy to choose technology-driven, multi-modal curricula and pedagogical systems, while holding them accountable for student learning outcomes. Schools must adopt integrated systems that continually improve student conceptual understanding and move them away from rote learning. Educators and parents must advocate for these changes and ensure that their communities understand the transformative impact technology can have on learning. And School Edtech partners must ensure these solutions are scalable, relevant and practical for the unique realities of India’s school ecosystem.
(Author Sumeet Mehta is Co Founder and CEO, LEAD Group. Views expressed are personal.)
