India’s school system is vast, with 260 million children learning in government, private, and aided schools. It covers national boards, state boards, busy metro classrooms, and small rural ones where a single teacher may manage several grades at once. Within this enormous ecosystem, we have bright spots of excellence, from well-run Kendriya Vidyalayas to innovative model and private schools.

Yet, taken as a whole, particularly at the level of foundational literacy and numeracy, the system still requires considerable strengthening. For decades, the Indian classroom depended almost wholly on two pillars—the teacher and the textbook. This worked well for a significant section of students but had built-in limitations. One teacher often had to manage 30 or more students in a class. Naturally, it was difficult to pay individual attention to each child. Much of the attention of the teacher was consumed by delivering content without tools to assess whether students were benefiting from it. Success, therefore, was skewed in favor of students who had academic support, whether at home, through better-resourced schools, or with the benefit of strong foundations.

Those that didn’t have the support, and this accounted for the majority, were left behind. Surveys such as ASER have consistently shown that even in higher grades, many students struggle with reading fluency and basic arithmetic.

AI made its first appearance in classrooms as a teacher aid or a digital teaching tool, devoid of dramatic and overnight disruption. Smart boards, multimedia explanations, and AI-supported lesson plans helped teachers enrich their classrooms. Teachers’ capacity was enhanced and made more effective because they could now use digital resources, saving them from the necessity of repeated explanations of the same content. Their energies were now directed toward observing how students were absorbing the material. AI enabled teachers to shift their attention toward the parts of teaching that required insight, judgment, and human connection.

The next step was the onset of computer labs. For a few periods each week, students had access to individual screens. Under teacher supervision, they could take digital assessments, practice math problems, work on reading skills, or explore science simulations. For many children, this was their first taste of learning at their own pace. It was not fully personalized, but it was a meaningful move away from the one-size-fits-all model. Again, those in the best-run schools got significant amounts of screen time in their labs, but access across the board has been quite spotty.

India is entering a new and transformative phase as a result of improved internet and smartphone access. Using AI, students no longer have to rely on just the school surroundings for assistance. Students can now receive individualized support whenever they need it through the use of technology. For example, a student may read at home or in a tutoring situation, with aid when they get stuck on words, complete math problems, or review lesson materials studied in class, decoupled from the presence or absence of school resources. Students will be able to have the same individualized assistance and resources that previously could only be obtained by students attending urban schools of high quality.

Despite the newness of these changes, teachers will remain the central figure in student learning. AI allows teachers to provide even better support for their students, not to replace the teacher. With the more common use of AI for routine tasks such as assessments and the general explanations, teachers will have more time to focus on mentoring their students, leading productive conversations about learning, and instilling a sense of confidence in students. The teacher’s role is shifting to providing the solution; however, they will be responsible for orchestrating the learning experience of students. Additionally, as AI continues to gather information on a student’s performance in real time, teachers will have a deeper knowledge of their students and be able to provide the needed assistance at a more focused level than ever before.

AI’s role in the classroom is not to replace teachers but rather to provide teachers with tools that will allow them to create a more engaging, responsive, and equitable learning environment for their students. When implemented correctly, the integration of AI into the classroom will signal a watershed moment for India. Technology will enhance our ability to realize our full potential as human beings; therefore, all children, regardless of background, will have a greater opportunity to succeed in school and later in life.